Prevalência de cárie dentária em pré-escolares de uma escola particular em uma região rural do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Introduction: National and international studies have shown considerably reduction in dental caries prevalence in schoolchildren. Preschool children, however still show high levels of the disease. Aim: To obtain dental caries prevalence in preschool children attending a private school in Xerem, a rural district of Duque de Caxias (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil). Moreover, the association of dental caries prevalence with other variables, such as the presence of visible biofilm at the labial surface of incisors, family income and mother's educational level, was evaluated. Methods: Seventy-five children, both sexes, between 2 and 6 years of age were included in this study. After parental consent, a written interview was answered by the guardians, regarding medical and oral health status. After that, the dentist proposed school activities related to dentistry, such as drawings, storytelling and puppet presentations. In this way, the dentist could narrow her relation with the children, facilitating further acceptance of clinical examination, and at the same time bringing oral health concepts to the children and the caretakers. For evaluation of oral cleanliness, the visible plaque index was used and for documentation of the dental caries prevalence, the dmf-t and DMF-T indexes were used. Results: Mean dmf-t and DMF-T indexes were 1.62 e 0.28, respectively, being the carious component the most present for both indexes. The dental caries prevalence in the primary dentition was 32%, and for the permanent dentition, 28.5%. Although there have been a clear tendency for lower caries prevalence in preschool children with absence of visible plaque and whose mothers had a higher educational status, no statistically significant differences were found with these variables nor with familial income. Dental caries polarization was observed in the present study, where a small group of children have shown a higher caries index. Conclusion: Rural populations have inadequate oral health status, and for this reason oral health programmes in rural areas are needed to guarantee better quality of life for this population. Dental caries prevalence in preschool children from a private school in a rural district in Rio de Janeiro