Dental caries in adolescents from public schools in Maputo, Mozambique.
OBJECTIVE
To assess dental caries prevalence in adolescents at urban and sub-urban areas of Maputo-City, Mozambique and to identify its relationship with dental fluorosis, dental plaque, nutritional status, frequency of sugar consumption and the concentration of fluoride in public water supply.


METHODS
Subjects (n=601) were randomly selected from five urban schools and five sub-urban schools. Clinical examinations were performed under standardised conditions by a trained examiner using DMFT index, SiC index, fluorosis index, PHP, BMI, a sugar consumption questionnaire and water supply analysis. The bivariate analysis and Pearson correlation was used (p < 0.05).


RESULTS
The mean (DMFT) was 0.9 (+/- 1.65 SD). Children in urban schools showed less dental caries (0.8 +/- 1.49 SD) than children in sub-urban schools (1.1 +/- 1.80 SD, p = 0.03). Only 8.15% had very mild to moderate fluorosis but most presented poor oral hygiene. Cases of malnutrition were found in more sub-urban schools (n=109; 36.22%) than in urban schools (n=66; 22.00%) (p = 0.03). The frequency of sugar consumption was higher among urban children compared to suburban schools (p < 0.00). The level of fluoride in water consumption in urban schools was 0.4 ppmF, above the level of fluoride in sub-urban schools, 0.2 ppmF.


CONCLUSIONS
Dental caries should not be considered a major oral health problem in Maputo at the moment. However the data suggest the implementation of a population strategy to reduce dental caries rates, in children of both urban and sub-urban areas, in Maputo.
Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Public Health, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Marta Artemisa Abel
MA
Mapengo
Juliane Avansine
JA
Marsicano
Patricia
P
Garcia de Moura
Arsenio
A
Sales-Peres
Martin
M
Hobdell
Silvia Helena
SH
de Carvalho Sales-Peres
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000032:analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000453:epidemiology; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000032:analysis; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology; D009073:Mozambique / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D015995:Prevalence; D018881:Suburban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005459:Fluorides