Caries indicators in relation to healthcare access and hygienic-dietary habits in Spanish preschoolers.

INTRODUCTION: Dental caries continues to be a public healthcare problem due to its high prevalence and morbidity. It was proposed to evaluate caries indicators in relation to healthcare access and hygienic-dietary habits in Spanish preschoolers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a random sample consisting of 343 patients ranging from 3 to 5 years of age in the primary care setting, the main measurements were: dental care access, hygienic-dietary habits, and caries registration according to WHO criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries was 35.3% and mean ± standard deviation (SD) dft was 1.51 ± 2.93. Preschoolers who had ever visited the dentist had a higher dft occurrence than those who had never attended the dentist. The lower prevalence of caries was significantly associated with the frequency of two daily brushings versus non-daily brushing (p = 0.007; 25.3% vs. 47.1%) and was 10.7% lower in patients who had the habit of night brushing (p = 0.041). The consumption of sugary liquids between meals implied a higher dft index. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of early childhood caries and the dental care access associated with poor oral health suggest the need to implement a multidisciplinary oral healthcare program that involves both healthcare and dental healthcare professionals in Primary Health Care Units without forgetting the participation of the community and local administrations.

Relevance of Sociocultural Inequalities and Parents' Origins in Relation to the Oral Health of Preschoolers in Lanzarote, Spain.

Approaching inequalities to achieve health equity requires joint action. Early childhood caries affects disadvantaged population groups. The objective of this study was to determine the relevance of sociocultural inequalities and parental origin with respect to oral health in preschool children in Lanzarote. A transversal epidemiological study was carried out. Sociocultural data and information about parental origin were collected via a questionnaire. The decayed and filled teeth (dft), decayed teeth (dt), filled teeth (ft), restorative index (RI), plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were obtained via an investigator's examination. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that children of semi-skilled manual workers (28.15%) had the highest prevalence of caries (46.9%). Additionally 43.7 of the mothers had second grade and first cycle studies. When relating the medium and high level of education, there were statistically significant differences in relation to the cod index (p = 0.046). When the origin was foreign (48.4%), preschoolers presented 10.7% more active or untreated caries than Spaniards (p = 0.038). Low socioeconomic cultural level and foreign origin is associated with a more deficient state of oral health in preschoolers. Oral health programs are needed to minimize social inequalities.

Prevalence of Possible Sleep Bruxism and Its Association with Social and Orofacial Factors in Preschool Population.

The prevalence of bruxism in the preschool population varies according to different investigations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep bruxism and its relationship with social and orofacial factors in children aged 3 to 5 years. Three hundred forty-three preschool children were divided into two groups, one with nocturnal bruxism, as reported by parents, and another without this disorder. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents to determine the children's family social status and parafunctional habits at the time of the study. The clinical inspection confirmed the presence of certain parafunctional habits and the children's occlusal characteristics. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency chi-square tests to identify the influence of qualitative variables. Of the total sample, 28.9% of preschoolers presented sleep bruxism. The highest prevalence was observed in boys (61.6%) at the age of 5 years (41.4%). Characteristics associated with this pathology were lip incompetence, open bite, crossbite, and overbite, with p < 0.05. Sleep bruxism in preschool children has a higher prevalence in boys and is more frequently expressed from 5 years of age. Open bite, overbite, and crossbite should be considered factors associated with parafunction.

Prevalence of traumatic injuries in deciduous dentition and associated risk factors in a Spanish children population.

BACKGROUND: The frequency of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in primary dentition and those agents that favor them present a great variability. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of TDI in a population of Spanish preschoolers in temporary dentition and identify the factors associated with these injuries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An epidemiological observational prevalence study was carried out. A total of 343 children aged between 3 and 5 years were selected. A questionnaire was completed in relation to socioeconomic factors, cultural level, dietary habits and oral parafunction. Through an intraoral examination, information was collected on the occlusal characteristics and the presence of TDI. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS Statistics 25.0 program for Windows, using the descriptive and frequencies procedure, contingency tables, Chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of TDI in the total sample was 12.2%. The most frequent lesion was crown discoloration (0.4%) followed by crown fracture (0.1%) and avulsion (0.1%). The most affected tooth was the deciduous upper central incisor. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis the presence of dental trauma did correlate significantly with the age (5 years in reference to 3 years: OR = 4.209; 95% C.I. = 1.591-11.134; p = 0.004) and overjet (OR = 2.609; 95% C.I. = 1.306-5.214; p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of these lesions in a Spanish infant population with temporary dentition is low. Only age and overjet are risk factors. Key words:Dental trauma, deciduous dentition, risk factors.

Necesidad de programas de salud oral para preescolares en Atención Primaria / The need for preschool oral health programs in primary care

Actualmente, la caries continúa siendo un importante problema en Salud Pública, no sólo por su repercusión en el estado de salud general, sino también, por los altos gastos sanitarios y sociales que genera. En menores de 6 años y en dentición temporal, sólo disponemos de los datos nacionales obtenidos de la única Encuesta Nacional de Salud Oral en preescolares, promovida por el Consejo General de Dentistas de España en el año 2007 y cuyos resultados evidencian una prevalencia de caries del 17% a los tres años y del 26,2% a los 4 años de edad. La mejora de la atención bucodental infantil, se debe en parte, a programas específicos de salud oral en nuestro territorio nacional, siendo la población preescolar una excepción. Por todo ello, serían necesarios realizar nuevos estudios epidemiológicos a edades más precoces y en todo el ámbito nacional para así determinar la necesidad de programas de salud oral destinados a esta población infantil (AU)

Currently, caries remains a major public health problem, not only for its impact on the overall health status but also because of the high health and social costs generated. In children under 6 years and temporal dentition, we just have the national data of the National Survey of Oral health in preschool, promoted by the General Council of Dentists of Spain in 2007 and whose results show a caries prevalence of 17% at three years and 26.2% at 4 years old. The improvement in child oral health care is partly due to specific oral health programs in our country, with the exception of the preschool population. Therefore, it would be necessary to make new epidemiological studies in younger ages and throughout the national level to determine the need for oral health programs aimed at the children (AU)