title: [Prevalence of dental fluorosis in 12 and 15 years old schoolchildren in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, 2001].
abstract: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental fluorosis in a sample of 3,313 schoolchildren (ages 12 and 15) in a health district in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was developed, and data were collected by seven examiners (kappa = 0.69) according to WHO criteria (the Dean index). Additional information such as participation in programs, access to a dentist, place of residence from 0-5 years of age, sex, and ethnicity were obtained through a questionnaire. A descriptive analysis was performed for the municipality as a whole and for each district. According to the results, 31.4% of the 12-year-olds and 27.6% of the 15-year-olds presented fluorosis, predominantly of the "very mild" type. Differences were found between the districts (p<0.05). The districts of Pau da Lima and Brotas had the highest percentages of healthy individuals at 12 years of age (81.8% and 81.6%). At 15 years, Subúrbio Ferroviário, Pau da Lima, and Cajazeiras were the districts with the lowest prevalence rates (13.0%, 14.6%, and 13.5%). The district of Liberdade had the highest prevalence (72.4% and 57.3%) at 12 and 15 years, respectively, attributed to differences in calibration. Differences were found between the health districts, thus emphasizing the need for health surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontologia Social, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil. cristinacangussu@lognet.com.br
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Teixeira
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cangussu
authors.forename: Roberto Augusto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Castellanos Fernandez
authors.forename: Cristiane Castro
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Cláudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Luciano Cincurá Silva
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence