title: Association between untreated dental caries and household food insecurity in schoolchildren.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess the association between untreated dental caries (UDC) and household food insecurity (HFI) among schoolchildren in different income strata. A population-based study was carried out with a sample of 584 12-y-old schoolchildren. Oral examinations were performed and HFI was determined using a validated scale. Other independent variables were analyzed for being of interest to the stratification of the results (per capita household income) or for acting as potential confounding variables. The prevalence of UDC and HFI was 45% and 39%, respectively. The multivariate models demonstrated that the UDC was significantly more prevalent among children in food-insecure households with per capita income of up to US$ 70.71 than among those in the same income stratum that were free of HFI [PR = 1.52 (95%CI = 1.01-2.29)]. HFI was associated with a greater frequency of UDC among low-income schoolchildren, but had no significant impact on this variable among children from other income strata. Thus, ensuring access to quality food may be a good strategy for minimizing inequities in oral health and reducing dental caries experience among schoolchildren from low-income families.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estomatologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, gab_santin@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Gabriela Cristina
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Santin
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estomatologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, gab_santin@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Tatiana Pegoretti
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Pintarelli
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estomatologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, gab_santin@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fabian Calixto
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Fraiz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva e Social, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Cristina Borges
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontopediatria e Ortodontia, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Saul Martins
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estomatologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, gab_santin@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fernanda Morais
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence