Oral health of 12-year-old children in Quito, Ecuador: a population-based epidemiological survey

Abstract

Background There is a paucity of population-based surveys on oral health conditions in Ecuador. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct an epidemiological survey with a representative sample of children aged 12 years from public schools of Quito, Ecuador. The aim of this initial report was to describe the methodology used in the survey, as well to present results regarding calibration procedures and prevalence of oral-health related outcomes. Methods We invited 33 public schools’ coordinators from the urban area of Quito, and 1100 children (12 years old) to take part in this study. Six trained and calibrated examiners conducted clinical examinations using oral mirrors and ball-ended probes to assess: dental caries, traumatic dental injuries, malocclusion, gingival bleeding, presence of calculus and fluorosis. Children also responded a questionnaire on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). Individual sociodemographic data was collected through a questionnaire sent to parents. Moreover, some contextual data on school environment (infrastructure conditions, promotion of health practices and negative episodes) were also evaluated. Prevalence values, crude and weighted by sampling weights, and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. Results Nine hundred and ninety-eight children from 31 schools were examined from March to May 2017. The adjusted prevalence values (95%CI) for the six outcomes evaluated were: dental caries = 60.3% (55.3 to 65.0%); traumatic dental injuries = 20.7% (17.2 to 24.8%); dental fluorosis = 63.7% (58.5 to 68.5%); gingival bleeding = 92.0% (87.1 to 95.2%); presence of calculus = 69.9 (60.5 to 77.9%); and malocclusion = 25.8% (21.8 to 30.3%). Adjusted mean of number of decayed, missed or filled permanent teeth (DMF-T) was 1.61 (1.37 to 1.84). Results on OHRQoL and other contextual variables will be reported in other articles. Conclusion The prevalence of the majority of oral health problems in 12-year-old children from public schools in Quito-Ecuador was compatible with those observed in other similar cities. However, periodontal health and fluorosis seem to be highly prevalent in children from Quito. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12903-019-0863-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Influence of school environment on occurrence of traumatic dental injuries in 12 years old children

“…This cross-sectional study is part of an epidemiological survey called "QUITO Oral Health Survey" (QUITO-OH Survey). 21 It is a population-based survey with 12 years old children studying in public schools in the urban area of Quito, Ecuador. The schools were randomly selected, and then, 12-year-old children from these schools were also randomly chosen.…”

“…Details of the methodology used in the survey, training and calibration of the examiners and the prevalence observed for all oral health problems of the survey have been previously published. 21 In the present study, in addition to the prevalence, the severity of the TDI and the associated factors, mainly contextual variables related to the school environment, were assessed.…”

“…The minimum sample size for the survey was 928 children, and 1100 children were invited to compensate for non-responses. 21 For the association analysis, power was calculated considering a prevalence of TDI of 18.6%. 5 With the minimum sample size calculated for the survey, considering a prevalence ratio (PR) value of 1.7…”

Gingival Health Related to Intake of Different Types of Foods and Body Mass Index in 12-year-old Schoolchildren

“…Dental calculus was present in 40.40% of the participants, without statistically significant differences between boys and girls. This percentage is lower compared to other studies conducted in 12-year-old children from other countries such as Puerto Rico (61.59%), Ecuador (69.9%) and China (46%) (6,47,48). However, in an epidemiological study conducted by the Social Security System in Costa Rica (Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social), participants between the ages of 10 and 19, had only 8.23% of teeth with calculus (49).…”

“…A statistically significant relationship was found, between being overweight and the presence of dental calculus, which is in accordance with a study conducted in adolescents in Mexico during ODOVTOS-International Journal of Dental Sciences 2014. In this study, a high percentage of body fat was associated with the presence of dental calculus (48). Also, a systematic review was conducted to associate the relationship between being overweight and periodontal health in children and adolescents.…”