Evaluation of Access to Oral Health and the Need for Treatment in Adolescents in a Full-Time School System

Abstract

This study evaluated the self-perception of adolescents' oral health and their oral conditions and the need for treatment in relation to dental caries. An epidemiological survey was carried out in the municipality of Belém, Pará, Brazil, in 2018. The sample consisted of 200 students, aged 11 to 16 years old, from a full-time public school. The data were collected through a questionnaire where their self-perception of their oral health was assessed and an intra-oral examination was carried out to assess oral health conditions in relation to dental caries, using the Dental Caries Index and need for treatment (ICDNT). The data analysis was based on the Chi-square test, and when the npq <5 restriction occurred, Fisher's exact test was applied. The comparison between quantitative variables was performed using the Student's t test. The average DMFT index was 3.57, with only 17% of the studied population free of caries. The carious component was the one with the greatest significance (3.14) and the need for treatment with the highest prevalence was the restoration of one face (47.5%). A percentage of 88.5% of the adolescents evaluated answered that they did not take a toothbrush to school. The studied sample had a moderate prevalence of caries compared to the parameters recommended by the WHO, but above the standard obtained in the national survey carried out in 2010. Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures aimed at improving the quality of oral health of these adolescents and a full-time system would be a ideal for implementing good habits and routines for the adolescent’s oral health.