Polarization of Dental Caries among Individuals Aged 15 to 18 Years

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of socioeconomic variables and self-perceived oral health in the polarization of caries among adolescents in Santa Bárbara D'Oeste, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cross-sectional study. Sampling was randomized and sample size was defined according to WHO criteria. Two hundred and seventy seven adolescents (15 to 18 year-old) were examined by five trained examiners that assessed DMFT index according to WHO criteria. Self-perceived oral health, access to dental services and socio-demographic variables were self-reported. Student's t tests, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression (with significant caries index (SiC) as the outcome), were performed. RESULTS Mean DMFT was 5.48 (+/-4.22) and the proportion of "caries free" subjects was 15.5%. Mean DMFT (9.71+/-2.85) and mean D (1.67+/-2.18) of SiC positive subjects were significantly higher than mean DMFT (2.88+/-2.17) and mean D (0.45+/-0.87) of SiC negative subjects (p<0.0001). Mean D of white (0.76+/-1.51) was significantly smaller than mean D of non-white subjects (1.32+/-2.01). The only variable independently associated with the "SiC positive" outcome was "report of toothache within six months prior to the study" [OR=1.83 (95%CI 1.08 to 3.12)], p<0.001. CONCLUSION SiC was associated with "report of toothache" but not with socio-demographic variables in the studied population.