Incremento de lesões de cárie em pré-escolares e fatores associados em Santa Cruz do Sul (RS).

Abstract

Dental caries, although there has been a decline in its lesions, is still one of the main public health problems, affecting many children in Brazil and worldwide. Due to the proportion of the disease and the impact caused on affected children, longitudinal studies have been carried out in order to identify factors associated with its development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the increment in caries lesions of the primary dentition over a two-year period, in the city of Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). Characterized as a longitudinal study, the sample consisted of 459 children aged 2-5 years at baseline, and after two years, 419 of these children were re-evaluated. Preschoolers were regularly enrolled in the Municipal Schools of Early Childhood Education (EMEIs) in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). After the consent of the parents/guardians, oral examinations were carried out on the children at the EMEIs, in 2016, and in 2018 at the EMEIs or at the elementary school where the child was enrolled. Trained and calibrated examiners performed the oral evaluations using the diagnostic criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The guardians answered a questionnaire referring to socioeconomic issues. Data were analyzed using the statistical program STATA 14.0. A descriptive analysis of sociodemographic variables and oral health measures was performed on the data collected at the beginning of the study. According to the results of the bivariate analysis, the Bolsa Família beneficiary children, who sought the dentist for treatment, who their guardians considered their children's oral health to be fair and poor, and who had caries experience at the initial examination, showed a greater increment of dental caries lesions. In the multivariate analysis, the experience of dental caries in the initial examination showed a statistically significant association with the increment in carious lesions (RR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.67 – 4.26; p < 0.001). It is concluded that the presence of dental caries in the initial evaluation was the main factor associated with the increment in new carious lesions. However, despite the socioeconomic aspects, related to the use of dental services and the parents' perception, not having maintained an association in the multivariate analysis, they are important factors when assessing the risk of dental caries.