Abstract

SANABRIA-VAZQUEZ, Diana Alicia et al. Dental caries in children in poverty situation, assisted by a foundation in Paraguay  . Rev. Estomatol. Herediana [online]. 2016, vol.26, n.2, pp.70-77. ISSN 1019-4355.  http://dx.doi.org/10.20453/reh.v26i2.2868.

Introduction: Oral health affects much of the population, and the low income is particularly at risk due to lack of access to dental care, high cost of dental services and general lack of information about the importance of oral health in the general health and welfare of people. To evaluate the oral health status of children at risk affected by poverty in DEQUENI, at Ypané, in 2013. Material and methods: Observational, cross-sectional study, in 70 under 12 and 15 years old. Demographic variables, dental caries, and lifestyle were considered. Results: 54.29% were female. The DMF-T index was 6.57 (SD=3,54). A 100% frequency of use of the toothbrush and 97.14% of brushing 3 times a day was reported. As for diet, 48.57% of the population refers at least 5 meals a day, and 64.29% reported high frequency of soft drink consumption between meals or after dinner. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of dental caries in this population, often related to excessive consumption of foods high in sugar between meals, lack of proper hygienic habits, lack of knowledge and lack of encouragement to practice oral hygiene techniques.

Keywords : Dental caries; oral hygiene; risk factors; homeless youth; Paraguay.

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