Relationship Among Socioeconomic Variables and Oral Diseases in Schoolchildren

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationship among dental caries, gingival status, fluorosis and socioeconomic variables in 12-year-olds in Piracicaba, Brazil, in 2007. Methods: The sample consisted of 500 schoolchildren attending 18 public schools. A previously calibrated examiner performed the clinical examination in an outdoor setting, under natural light, using dental mirror and CPI probe. Dental caries, gingival status and fluorosis were measured using the DMFT, CPI and T-F indexes, respectively. Socioeconomic variables (monthly family income, number of people living in the household, parents' educational level and home ownership) were collected by means of a parental semi-structured questionnaire. Univariate analyses (Chi-square test; 5% significance level) were performed to test the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variables (caries, gingivitis and fluorosis, dichotomized in absent and presence) Results: The mean value (standard deviation) for DMFT index was 0.88 (1.45) and 62% of the children were caries-free. The prevalence of gingivitis and dental fluorosis were 69.4% and 32.6%, respectively.

The only significant association (p<0.05) was observed between mother's educational level and dental caries (p=0.0201). Conclusion: With the exception of mother's educational level, socioeconomic variables were not risk indicators of the assessed oral diseases.

Financial support of the FAPESP (grants #2006/58881-9; #2006/50788-0)