title: Oral health assessment in the San Blas and Santa Ana populations of Nicaragua.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the oral health of a population in rural Nicaragua.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 241 individuals were recruited from areas around San Blas and Santa Ana, Nicaragua. A demographic questionnaire assessing income, access to oral health care, means of transportation and presence of dental/health insurance was collected for each patient. Oral screenings were also conducted to assess for evidence of untreated decayed teeth, restorations, missing/extracted teeth and presence/absence of periodontal disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of residents in San Blas and Santa Ana, Nicaragua, have little income if any, no medical or dental insurance of any kind and no means of transportation. There was a very high prevalence of untreated decayed teeth among the population studied where 51.1% of our sample had three or more dental caries. Children aged fewer than 20 years had five times the prevalence of dental decay than those in the United States. No statistically significant difference was found in untreated decayed teeth by age or gender. A smaller percentage (25.2%) of all patients had restorations with a statistically significant difference found between genders (P < 0.0001). There was also a relationship between gender and number of missing/extracted teeth (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in amount of untreated decayed teeth among those who reported having been seen by a dentist within the previous one-to-three, greater than 3 years or never at all.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among a population of individuals from San Blas and Santa Ana, Nicaragua, there are major socio-economic barriers present, and a significant burden of oral pathology is evident.
authors.affiliation: Division of Dental Hygiene, Department of Dental Medicine, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gianopoulos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizanis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murray-Krezan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aboytes
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonzales
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009527:Nicaragua / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014186:Transportation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Nicaragua; access to health care; dental caries; dental health surveys; dentistry; oral health; periodontal diseases; world health