Periodontal status and treatment needs of children from 6 to 8 years old in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the periodontal status and the treatment needs of Chilean schoolchildren Methods: Prevalence study. Sample: 1,637 schoolchildren from 6 to 8 years old belonging to 26 communes of the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile, stratified according to socioeconomic level in accordance with the 2003 CASEN survey (National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey). Periodontal status was estimated using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) and following the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization), along with the records of the Clinical Criteria of Gingival Inflammation. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test. Results: Gingivitis prevalence was 68.42%, a result that is higher than the national prevalence (P<0.01; 95% CI=0.66-0.70). The prevalence increased with age (P<0.01) but was similar in both sexes (P=0.838). Prevalence was relatively constant among three socioeconomic levels (P=0.417). According to the CPITN, gingivitis prevalence was 29.57%: 27.49% consisting of children with gingival hemorrhage and 2.08% consisting of children with gingival calculus. The treatment needs of this population are that 27.49% of children require oral-hygiene instruction, and 2.08% need oral-hygiene instruction and subgingival and supragingival scaling. Conclusion: The gingivitis prevalence found in this study was higher than the national proportion in Chile.

The relationship between oral hygiene level and gingivitis in children

“…15 A relatively high percentage of children with healthy periodontium (70.43%) was observed by Varas et al in children aged 6-8 years (Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile), while markedly lower values -22.5% -were reported by Dini et al in Brazilian 7-year-olds. 5,16 A still lower percentage was noted by Anupriya et al: in only 9.4% of the children aged 5-8 years. 14 Our own studies showed healthy periodontium to be present in 91.32% of the studied population of the 7-year-olds from a big city.…”

“…Składnik-Jankowska and Kaczmarek and Varas et al noted this deposit in a small percentage of the examined children, 4% and 2.08%, respectively. 5,15 A higher percentage was reported by Anupriya et al in 5-8-year-old Indian children and Varenne et al in 6-year-old African children -10.2% and 58%, respectively. 14,18 Based on epidemiological studies performed in Poland in 1987 and 1995, Banach compared the prevalence of dental calculus among 7-and 12-year-olds.…”

“…Still higher values were quoted by Varas et al, Anupriya et al and Dini et al, who observed gingival bleeding in 27.49%, 71.9% and 76.8% of children, respectively. 5,14,16 Contrary to our study, in the research by Arnlaugsson and Magnusson, as well as Hemadneh and Ayesh, the gingival bleeding index (GBI) was used. 2,4 Among Icelandic 6-yearolds of Reykjavik examined by Arnlaugsson and Magnusson, healthy gums were noted in 26% of the children.…”

“…The percentage of healthy periodontium at that age ranges between 9% and 80%. 5,[14][15][16] Składnik-Jankowska and Kaczmarek evaluated the periodontal status of 7-year-olds from southern Poland and found healthy periodontium in 80% of them, with no statistically significant difference between genders. 15 A relatively high percentage of children with healthy periodontium (70.43%) was observed by Varas et al in children aged 6-8 years (Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile), while markedly lower values -22.5% -were reported by Dini et al in Brazilian 7-year-olds.…”

“…Therefore, the key concern is periodontal health and good oral hygiene in childhood. [1][2][3][4][5] Childhood, especially the first years of life, is the time when proper health-promoting behaviors are formed, allowing the future prevention of such diseases as dental decay and gingivitis. A fundamental element of prevention are effective daily prophylactic-hygienic procedures to remove dental plaque.…”