Fatores associados à presença de placa bacteriana em oclusais de primeiros molares permanentes em crianças de 6-8 anos.

Abstract

Dental caries is a chronic disease that follows a process of dental demineralization in the presence of dental plaque. Despite of a decline process in its prevalence, the distribution of the disease became polarized in some groups. This phenomenon can be associated with social conditions of vulnerability and with a bigger incidence in children where the first permanent molars is in eruption phase. Thus, it became necessary to research and evaluate the relations between socialeconomic and biological characteristics of six to eight-year-old children in which the first permanent molar tooth is in the eruption phase and the presence of bacterial plaque, which is a determinant factor for the dental caries. The authors evaluated 272 children in two public schools of Belo Horizonte - MG with different Social Vulnerability Index between August 2006 and November 2007 in a longitudinal cohort study. The presence of dental plaque in the occlusal of the firstpermanent molars was the dependent variable, and the selected independent variable were: schools with different social vulnerabilities, categories of social development, medical history, dental history, social and oral habits and the first permanent molar eruption phase. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated significant association with familiar monthly income [p=0,013, OR=0,86 (0,67- 1,16)]. Habits such as teeth-brushing twice a day or more [p=0.011, OR=0.66(0.48-0.90)], participating of a topical fluoride application program [p=0.036, OR=0.74(0.55-0.98)] and accessing sequential dental treatment [p=0.00,OR=0.52(0.36-0.75)] emerged as protective factors against dental plaqueappearance. The same occurred with the eruption of the first molars [p=0.00, OR=0.52(0.40-0.69)] and minor social vulnerability [p=0.037, OR=0.74(0.55-0.98)]. The authors concluded that the presence of dental plaque in the occlusals of the first permanent molars is associated with the dental eruption process and with characteristics like the social vulnerability-related, and they should be considered in a critical dental caries control program.