RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the time, in days, from the beginning of the monitoring until the occurrence of dental caries and its association with low birth weight in early childhood. METHODS: This longitudinal study, dynamic cohort type with a study population of 1,109 children from public, private, and philanthropic daycares in Salvador, Bahia. The independent variables considered were sociodemographic, perinatal, and behavioral, such as the type of breastfeeding. Survival analysis was used to estimate the time for the development of caries with the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox Regression was used on the multivariate analysis to assess the association with low birth weight (LBW). RESULTS: Out of the total of 1,109 children, 419 developed the disease and the median time to the occurrence of caries was approximately 18 months. District of origin, type of daycare, age, skin color, maternal education, family income, living in a home with less than four rooms, breastfeeding habits, the presence of biofilm and of active white spot, and previous caries experience were identified as potential determinants of the time until the occurrence of caries. It was found a positive association between LBW and the time to the development of caries in both the not adjusted (RF = 1.21, 95 percent CI 0.88-1.65) and adjusted model (adjusted RF = 1.52, 95 percent CI 1.01-2.28). CONCLUSION: LBW was associated with dental caries.