IADR Abstract Archives
Dental Caries at a Public School in Portugal
Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and severity of dental caries among the young population of a public school in the municipality of Torres Vedras (Portugal) and to relate them with socio-demographic information and sugar frequency consumption.
Methods: A cross-sectional study, with sample of 109 students (43% from total), randomly selected, was carried out at the public school of Maxial, in Torres Vedras, a municipality located the west subregion of Portugal. The prevalence of dental caries was evaluated by the DMFT index and the severity was measured using ICDAS II, both gathered from basic oral observations made with disposable material. A questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic information (gender, age, educational level) and food frequency consumption. The consent form and questionnaire were previously completed by the parents. The ethical approval was granted by a state recognized ethical committee from Egas Moniz, CRL. Data was submitted to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using SPSS Software Statistics v.24.
Results: The age of the subjects ranged from 10 to 18 years, being 62.3% female. The prevalence of dental caries was 55.0% (95% confidence interval estimate: 47.9-62.0%) with a DMFT index of 1.7 (± 2.7). Regarding the severity, 23.9% of the identified lesions were incipient, with no cavities and 12.6% had distinct/extensive cavities, with visible dentin. An association was found between the prevalence of dental caries and the educational level (p=0.025). The correlation between the number of incipient lesions with the sugar intake level was found to be positive, significant, but weak (r=0.257, p=0.007).
Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of dental caries were identified as low in this population. An association between caries prevalence and educational level and a positive correlation between the number of incipient lesions and sugar frequency consumption were identified. Studies with larger samples are needed to adequately outline the oral health landscape in Portugal.
Methods: A cross-sectional study, with sample of 109 students (43% from total), randomly selected, was carried out at the public school of Maxial, in Torres Vedras, a municipality located the west subregion of Portugal. The prevalence of dental caries was evaluated by the DMFT index and the severity was measured using ICDAS II, both gathered from basic oral observations made with disposable material. A questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic information (gender, age, educational level) and food frequency consumption. The consent form and questionnaire were previously completed by the parents. The ethical approval was granted by a state recognized ethical committee from Egas Moniz, CRL. Data was submitted to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using SPSS Software Statistics v.24.
Results: The age of the subjects ranged from 10 to 18 years, being 62.3% female. The prevalence of dental caries was 55.0% (95% confidence interval estimate: 47.9-62.0%) with a DMFT index of 1.7 (± 2.7). Regarding the severity, 23.9% of the identified lesions were incipient, with no cavities and 12.6% had distinct/extensive cavities, with visible dentin. An association was found between the prevalence of dental caries and the educational level (p=0.025). The correlation between the number of incipient lesions with the sugar intake level was found to be positive, significant, but weak (r=0.257, p=0.007).
Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of dental caries were identified as low in this population. An association between caries prevalence and educational level and a positive correlation between the number of incipient lesions and sugar frequency consumption were identified. Studies with larger samples are needed to adequately outline the oral health landscape in Portugal.