Dental caries protection factors in 5-year-old Brazilian children.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify dental caries protection factors in 5-year-old children in the city of Curitiba, Brazil.


METHODS
This case-controlled study was based on secondary data obtained from electronic medical records of 5-year-old children using Curitiba's municipal health service in 2005. Independent variables included those related to the child and his or her family context. The association between variables was studied by chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and Mann-Whitney's tests and multiple logistic regression.


RESULTS
Caries experience was slightly associated with nutritional state, preschool experience (if the child regularly attended a preschool), and mother's age and education level. Multiple logistic regression confirmed most bivariate associations. Children who had normal weight (odds ratio [OR]=2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.04, 4.80) or who were overweight (OR=2.74; 95% CI=1.15, 6.53), did not go to preschool (OR=1.59; 95% CI=1.05, 2.41), and whose mothers were at least 26 years old (OR=1.62; 95% CI=1.14, 2.30) had a greater probability of being caries-free.


CONCLUSIONS
Normal or overweight children who did not attend preschool and whose mothers were at least 26 years old had a greater probability of being caries-free.
Tavares
Maria Cristina Reis
MC
Faculty of Dentistry, Positivo University, Curitiba, Brazil. cris.reis@terra.com.br
Moysés
Simone Tetu
ST
Moysés
Samuel Jorge
SJ
Bisinelli
Júlio César
JC
França
Beatriz Helena Sotille
BH
Ribeiro
Flávio Alves
FA
D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012307:Risk Factors; D012578:Schools, Nursery; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous