Estado de salud bucal en escolares de 6º año de educación primaria del sistema público de la Ciudad de Necochea, Provincia de Buenos Aires, 2012

Abstract

Population and methods: Using a cross-sectional descriptive design with a sample of 136 school 6 th year of primary education, a dental examination was performed according to WHO criteria, and DMFT index, Significant Caries Index and the Dental Care Index were measured.It is also proposed an individual tooth injury analysis. Results: Overall DMFT value was 0.83 (SD 1.48, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.08), very low severity as classified by the WHO, while the SIC was 2.47 (95% CI 1.99 to 2.94), a low value but close to moderate. We found a high correlation (Pearson = 0.8501) and a positive linear regression coefficient of 0.0755 (R 2 = 0.7227) between the values of DMFT and socioeconomic status, with higher DMFT with poorer socioeconomic strata. Those who only have coverage of public health services (42.6%) had higher rates of index values over others. Dental care for the patient population is very low (Dental Care Index = 15.9%). Statistically significant differences in the frequency of injuries according to socioeconomic status and health coverage were founded in the analysis of DMFT per tooth. Conclusion: According to inequalities found when stratified by socioeconomic status and health coverage (by DMFT and proportion per tooth) would demonstrate greater chance of getting sick of the most vulnerable groups. There's a high proportion of individuals whose care depends solely on public services. This study shows the need to improve public dental care as disease care, as well as prevention and promotion of oral health.