Trends in dental caries prevalence in 12-year-old schoolchildren between 1976 and 2001 in Bauru, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the trends in dental caries prevalence in 12-year-old schoolchildren between 1976 and 2001 in Bauru, Brazil. Study design. An epidemiological survey was performed by trained, calibrated examiners by the same research group in 1976, 1984, 1990, 1995 and 2001, using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. METHODS: Urban elementary schools were chosen because they provide a fair representation of the city's population in terms of socio-economic status. The study included 261, 321, 253, 377 and 211 subjects from the same regions in 1976, 1984, 1990, 1995 and 2001, respectively. The prevalence of caries and the DMFT index were used. RESULTS: A remarkable decrease was seen in the DMFT index at age 12 (84.53%) between 1976 and 2001. The DMFT indices at age 12 were 9.89, 7.01, 3.97, 4.13 and 1.53 in 1976, 1984, 1990, 1995 and 2001, respectively. The percentage of schoolchildren presenting with sound permanent teeth (DMFT = 0) increased from 0.40 to 45.50% between 1976 and 2001. Over the same period, the percentage of schoolchildren with six or more decayed teeth decreased from 86.99% to 5.21%. CONCLUSIONS: The phenomenon of dental caries polarization is already perceptible in Bauru, Brazil. The increase in the number of schoolchildren with sound permanent teeth (DMFT = 0) suggests that the dental health policy in Bauru has had a positive effect in children's dental health, and should therefore be considered for other cities.

[The relationship between oral habits and malocclusion in preschool children]. / Relação entre hábitos bucais e má oclusão em pré-escolares.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the way oral habits and speech problems affect dental occlusion in preschool children. METHODS: A random sample of 2,139 boys and girls aged 3-5 years old was evaluated. The children were enrolled in private and state institutions in the city of Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil. The cross-sectional study was developed in two steps: occlusion assessment, and a questionnaire about their social and economic status. The occlusal anatomical-functional characteristics assessment was done according to Angle classification. Additionally, overjet, overbite, crowding, anterior open bite, posterior crossbite, and anterior crossbite were evaluated. A sub-sample of 618 children filled out the questionnaire. The prevalence of malocclusion and some variables of exposure were tested by bivariate analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of malocclusion was 51.3% for boys and 56.9% for girls. There was no difference related to gender. In regard to age, there was a higher prevalence of malocclusion in the 3 year-old group, which decreased significantly with age (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the environmental factors evaluated, the habit of sucking a pacifier was the most important in the association with malocclusion (OR=5.46) followed by the habit of sucking fingers (OR=1.54). Speech problems did not show any influence in malocclusion occurrence.

[Prevalence of dental caries in children from 0 to 6 years old attending nursery: the influence of socioeconomic factors]. / Prevalência de cárie dentária em crianças da faixa etária de 0 a 6 anos matriculadas em creches: importância de fatores socioeconômicos.

Oral health condition in samples of children from zero to six years old, examined in day nurseries for children from Bauru and S. Paulo County (Brazil) by the caries indicator in primary dentition-dmfs, is assessed. The first group did not receive oral health care where any as the second group received the standard oral care provided by the institution. Variables related to way of life and their relationship to the presence of caries were evaluated. Multiple regression analysis showed a statistically significant association of age and frequency of dental visits with the prevalence of dental caries (p < 0.05). The data also showed that 23.3% of the children from Bauru, and 9.3% of those from S. Paulo were free of caries, numbers that are very far from the 50% proposed by WHO for the year 2000. The overall prevalence of dental caries was greater for the Bauru group than for the S. Paulo group; however, statistical significance was only found in the 3-4 age-group (p < 0.05). Sex differences in the occurrence of dental caries were not statistically significant.

Occurrence of primary incisor traumatism in Brazilian children: a house-by-house survey.

This paper presents the results of a house-by-house survey to learn the occurrence of dental injury to the primary teeth in Brazilian children from ten to seventy-two months of age. The study sample comprised 576 children, 295 boys and 281 girls living on sixty-six streets selected in an urban area (Bauru) in the state of Sao Paul, Brazil. There were 174 children (30.2 percent) with positive reports of injuries to the primary teeth. The results show the need of an educational program in order to prevent the occurrence of dental trauma.

Comparison of dental prophylaxis and toothbrushing prior to topical APF applications.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dental prophylaxis prior to the topical application of acidulated phosphate fluoride solution applied twice a year in schoolchildren. Experimental groups were: Group I--control group, had no treatment. Group II--twice yearly topical application of acidulated phosphate fluoride solution with prior professional prophylaxis with rubber cup and non fluoride paste. Group III--twice yearly topical application of acidulated phosphate fluoride solution with prior toothbrushing with a non-fluoridated prophy paste. After 18 months analysis of 160 children in each study group led to the following conclusions: 1. Acidulated phosphate fluoride topical applications are effective in the prevention of dental caries. 2. The omission of a professional prophylaxis prior to topical fluoride application does not affect significantly the caries preventive effect.