Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and intensity of dental pain in children according to size of municipality, associated factors and absenteeism. Methods: The sample consisted of children aged 12 years old from public and private schools drawn from eight cities in the region of Campinas (SP). A questionnaire was applied to obtain dental pain, demographic, socioeconomic data, and a clinical examination was carried out to evaluate the experience of having a cavity. The outcome for the logistic regression analysis was having pain and the outcome for the negative log-binomial regression was the intensity of pain. The significance level was 5%. Results: The sample consisted of 1,233 children, and 16.7% reported pain in the last six months. Dental pain was the cause of 46.4% of school absenteeism during this period. The prevalence of pain was lower among households with high income (p=0.023) and higher among nonwhites (p=0.027). Pain intensity was lower in medium-sized cities (p=0.02) and small cities (p=0.004), and higher in children whose parents had a lower educational level (p=0.003), children who sought out a dentist for the pain (p=0.04) and who had untreated cavities (p=0.04).Conclusions: The prevalence and intensity of dental pain in children aged under 12 are related to socioeconomic aspects of the family, such as low-income and parents with a low level of education, which impact daily activities as seen through school absenteeism. Pain intensity was lower in medium and small cities. Oral health promotion strategies in this age group should be encouraged to avoid dental pain.

A prevalência de fluorose dentária vem sendo estudada em localidades que possuem ou não a fluoretação das águas de abastecimento. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a prevalência de fluorose em préescolares e escolares de municípios com e sem fluoretação. A amostra foi composta por 3664 escolares de 5 a 12 anos em sete municípios sorteados da Região de Sorocaba. Os alunos foram divididos em dois grupos: moradores de municípios fluoretados (3124) e de não fluoretados (540). A fluorose foi medida através doÍndice de Dean de acordo com os critérios da Organização Mundial de Saúde. O teste Qui-Quadrado com 95% de confiança foi usado para comparar os resultados entre os grupos. Considerou-se fluorose os casos de escolares que apresentaram grau 2 (muito leve) ou maior que 2. Para o grupo como um todo (n=3664) somente 11,4% (n=419) apresentou fluorose, sendo que a maioria dos casos apresentou grau 2 (8,2%). A prevalência de fluorose foi maior nos escolares dos municípios sem fluoretação das águas [p<0,05]. Diante destes resultados ressalta-se a importância do monitoramento da fluorose dentária nessa região.

OBJECTIVE:To estimate the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs in 12-year-olds and adolescents. (2002) and 300 (2010) 15-to 19-year-olds were analyzed. Dental caries attack was evaluated using the DMFT (decayed, missing or fi lled teeth) index and the need for treatment verifi ed using the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization. The Signifi cant Caries Index was used to measure the severity of the decay in the tercile of the group with the highest prevalence of the disease. In order to analyze the results, the Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney tests were used, with a 5% signifi cance. METHODS: RESULTS:There was a decrease of 39.3 percentage points in the DMFT index for 12-year-olds (p < 0.001) and of 41.1 percentage points for the adolescents (p < 0.001) between 2002 and 2010, and an increase of around 161.0 and 303.0 percentage in the group which was free from dental caries respectively. The percentage of restored teeth decreased in both age groups, although the prevalence of dental caries did not change in the group more affected by dental caries. In the group with few dental caries, there was a decrease in the component 'tooth loss' for adolescents and increase in the component 'decayed teeth' for the 12-yearsold and the adolescents. There was an increase in the need for dental treatment in the group as a whole and in the group of 12-year-olds more affected by dental caries; and among the adolescents, the need for restoration on two or more surface decreased in the group as a whole and also in the group which suffered least from dental caries. CONCLUSIONS:The decreasing need for non-complex treatment in adolescents suggests that promotion and prevention activities are having a positive effect on this group. Moreover, the two epidemiological surveys in the state of Sao Paulo show improvements in oral health conditions in both age groups studied and calls for monitoring aimed also at the group least affected by dental caries.

Summary Objective The aim of this pilot study was to address the reliability, internal validity and viability of oral health methods used in the South American Youth/Child cARdiovascular and Environmental study. Methods South American Youth/Child cARdiovascular and Environmental study was a multicentre feasibility observational study and conducted in seven South American cities. The training sessions were performed in two steps before data collection: the first verified the inter‐rater reproducibility between the examiners of the six centres in relation to the gold standard, and the second one verified the inter‐rater reproducibility between the examiners at each centre in relation to the main rater. The diagnostic methods used were International Caries Detection and Assessment System II and Pulpal Involvement, Ulceration, Fistula and Abscess for dental caries and Periodontal Screening and Recording and Index Plaque for periodontal disease. Anthropometric variables were measured and used to calculate the body mass index and were classified according to the cut‐off points defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Cohen's kappa coefficient and proportions of agreement were calculated to report inter‐rater and intra‐rater reliability in the calibration process and pilot study. Results The inter‐rater weight kappa ranged from 0.78 to 0.88 and proportion of agreement from 96.07% to 98.10% for the International Caries Detection and Assessment System II and for the Periodontal Screening and Recording, 0.68 to 0.95 and 94.40% to 98.33%, respectively, in the calibration process. At the pilot study, a total of 490 children (40.8% overweight and 12.9% obese) and 364 adolescents (23.4% overweight and 4.3% obese) were examined. The prevalence of dental caries was 66% in children and 78% in adolescents, and gingival bleeding was 49% and 58.20%, respectively. Conclusion The results demonstrated good reliability and internal validity after the examiners were trained, as well as the feasibility of using the methods chosen for this multicentre study.