Gravidade da experiência de cárie dentária em adolescentes: estudo de base populacional

Abstract

Although the prevalence of the disease has decreased, it is still a worldwide oral health problem and is worldwide endemic. In this context, adolescents appear as a risk group for the disease because it is a delicate period in relation to health behaviors; such as oral hygiene habits, eating habits, alcohol and smoking habits, physical activity practices, among others. At this stage of life, parents decrease vigilance in caring for their children. However, it is during this period that adolescents consolidate their behaviors. Being that, many are resistant in the adoption of the good habits of health. In addition to the atypical behavior of this age group, understanding the various factors associated with dental caries is very important for the elucidation of the disease. Sociodemographic conditions, subjective and objective conditions of health, use of health services and self-perception in health are important tools for understanding dental caries. Thus, the present study sought to deepen the understanding of the disease in adolescents, when investigating the severity of caries. Dental caries results in the combination of several factors that goes beyond the host triad, cariogenic bacteria and substrate. It needs, therefore, to be well understood for effective control measures to be drawn. It is necessary to consider the negative impact that caries causes, such as pain and tooth loss, resulting in consequences on speech, swallowing, occlusion and socialization of the individual. In this context, dental caries in adolescents should become the target of research. The acknowledgement of the prevalence, cause of the disease, associated factors and their aggravations should be researchers' focus. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with the severity of the caries experience in a population of adolescents from public schools in the municipality of Montes Claros. This is a cross-sectional and analytical study of 600 adolescents (10-16 years old) conducted from August to December 2016. Multi-professional team participated in the data collection in all stages of the research: structured interview, physical evaluation, odontological evaluation and laboratory tests. The dependent variable - caries severity - was classified into three categories: no caries experience (CPOD = 0), low caries experience (CPOD <4) and high caries experience (CPOD≥4). The independent variables were grouped according to the theoretical model adapted from the model of Andersen and Davidson (1997). The present study identified an association of dental caries severity in adolescents with sociodemographic factors, general health objective factors and subjective oral health factors. The importance of the study in directing public health policies to this target audience is highlighted.