Prevalence of caries disease in Pro-Health practices

Objective:This research aimed to evaluate the prevalence of caries and cariogenic habits in children living in Jardim Paraíso neighborhood, city of Joinville-SC, where Pro-Health practices have been executed since 2009. Material and methods: Data collection was performed according to the WHO criteria for epidemiological survey. Food and oral hygiene habits of children and socioeconomic characteristics of their caregivers were collected through a questionnaire with closed questions. The sample consisted of 137 children, 69 (50.4%) males and 68 (49.6%) were female. Results: There was statistical significance in relation to intake of cariogenic foods when compared to dmft index, demonstrating positive correlation between the frequency of consumption and caries manifestation. The mean dmft index was 1.61, with a predominance of decayed teeth (92.76%), demonstrating the need for more financial support in public policies for oral health promotion and education in the neighborhood, aiming at the paradigm shifting from curative dental practice to the current approach focused on prevention.

DMFT index of 12 year-old students of public schools participating in the Project of Education for Working for Health

Introduction: Epidemiological surveys provide a key basis for assessing current and future oral health care needs of a population by yielding reliable data for designing national or regional health programs 12. Objective: To assess the oral health status of 12-year-old adolescents by applying DMFT index in the city of Joinville, SC, who took part in the PEW Health Project 2010-2011 and designing a comparative study between 2003 and 2010 national, state, municipal and other DMFT surveys for this same age range. Material and methods: Analytical cross-sectional observational study. Dental health assessment tool used was DMFT and deft index. The codes and criteria used for the survey used the tooth as a study unit according to methodology proposed by WHO and reported in the SB-Brazil Assessor's Manual ³. Sample size was 194 students attending public junior high school. Chi-square test for qualitative variables and Student's t test for quantitative variables were used, with two-tailed significance level of 5%. Results: DMFT was 0.84, standard deviation 1.31 and confidence interval 0.65 (lowest) and 1.02 (highest). Rate of cavity-free children or zero DMFT was 58.8%, a total of 114 children. Conclusion: The students of the city of Joinville, SC assessed by this study showed low cavity prevalence, thereby reaching WHO approved targets for 2010.