Dental caries in preschoolers: a population-based cross-sectional study in Montevideo, Uruguay Preschoolers' dental caries: a cross-sectional-population-based study in Montevideo, Uruguay Dental caries in preschoolers: a population-based cross-sectional study in Montevideo, Uruguay

Prevalence/extent/severity of caries, registered according to ICDAS, in 5-year-old children from Montevideo-Uruguay. Population-based cross-sectional study of 614 children from public/private schools. The association between predictor variables, prevalence/extent of caries was evaluated using Poisson regression. Prevalence 70.9%(95%CI=66.40-75.50) and extension 10.0(95%CI=8.70-11.30) surfaces. The prevalence showed significant differences between categories of schools, SEC, educational level of the mother (NEM) and diet, and the extension between the type of schools, SEC, NEM, frequency of brushing and consumption of soft drinks. Children with low/medium ECS (PR=1.55;95%CI=1.15-2.08 and PR=1.50;95%CI=1.12-2.01 respectively), primary MEN (PR=1,35;CI95%=1.11-1.65), from public school (RP=1.21;95%CI=1.08-1.36) and who consumed soda daily (PR=1.20;95% CI=1.01-1.43) showed significance in the unadjusted model. Preschoolers with low/medium SEC (RR=1.78; 95%CI=1.01-3.11 and RR=1.66; 95%CI=0.99-2.79 respectively), primary MEN (RR=1,86; 95%CI=1.21-2.87); low SEC (RR=1.78;95%CI=1.01-3.11) and daily soft drink consumption (RR=1.79;95%CI=1.20-2.68) had a higher probability of caries in the adjusted analysis. The prevalence/extent of caries was high, associated with sociodemographic/behavioral variables.