Dental caries among preschool children: effects of social inequality and the impact of a university extension project

Abstract

Objective The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of dental caries among preschoolers at public and private schools and to evaluate the associations among the prevalence of the disease, socioeconomic factors, and the impact of a university extension project. Methods Five-year-old preschool children were examined and were divided into three groups: children from private schools who were not receiving regular preventive care (group 1), children from public schools who were not receiving regular preventive care (group 2), children from public schools who were receiving preventive care through a university extension project (group 3). The children were examined for decay-missing-filled index, and their caregivers were interviewed to collect data on socioeconomic factors. Fisher’s and Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the data. Results Group 1 showed better socioeconomic and oral conditions compared with groups 2 and 3. Parents’/guardians’ level of education was associated with the presence of disease in their children; however, income showed no association. Conclusion Dental caries were more prevalent in the group with worse socioeconomic indicators, and although the university extension project had been implemented in one of the groups, it was not able to overcome health inequalities.

Association Between Water Sanitation and Living Conditions and Dental Caries in Brazilian Schoolchildren

“…Of children who used well or spring as water supply, 56.0% had caries experience, while this same prevalence was approximately 60% lower in children assisted by the official water supply network. These findings confirm data from literature, which point to the consumption of fluoridated water as a protective factor against dental caries compared to populations deprived of water fluoridation [5,6,11,17].…”

“…Dental caries is the most common chronic disease in children and constitutes an important public health problem due to its high prevalence and individual and collective impact for causing pain, discomfort [1][2][3][4], nutritional impairment, deterioration of the general state and social and functional limitations that can affect children's quality of life [2,3,[5][6][7][8].…”

“…Studies have shown that caries disease affects populations unevenly [1,5,6,10,11]. While in the past, the focus of studies on dental caries was the relationship between biological and dietary variables in the process of the appearance of dental caries, in the last decades, there has been greater interest in researching how demographic and socioeconomic characteristics play a role in the prevalence of this disease in the population [2].…”

“…While in the past, the focus of studies on dental caries was the relationship between biological and dietary variables in the process of the appearance of dental caries, in the last decades, there has been greater interest in researching how demographic and socioeconomic characteristics play a role in the prevalence of this disease in the population [2]. Worse oral health rates are observed in low-income children [1,3,5,[11][12][13][14][15]. Regarding sociodemographic variables, a statewide study carried out in Minas Gerais found higher dental caries prevalence in 12-year-old children when comparing countryside cities with the state capital [16].…”

“…Access to fluoride in fluoridated water benefits mainly the most vulnerable children, because the caries-preventing power of fluorination is relatively more effective in situations of greater economic and social inequality. However, for the population to have access to treated water, sanitation should be implemented, thus guaranteeing a better quality of life for the population [5,11,17].…”