Association between different stages of dental caries in preschoolers and familial socioeconomic factors

This study evaluated the association between socioeconomic factors and stages of dental caries in children one to five years of age. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 759 children enrolled in preschools in Diamantina, Brazil. The parents/caregivers filled out a form addressing socioeconomic factors. Add to the end of this sentence: and categorized in caries free (code 0 and 1), no obvious decay (code 2 and 3) and obvious decay (code 4, 5 and 6). Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test and multinomial regression. The prevalence of "no obvious decay" was higher among children from families with a larger number of income-dependent individuals (OR: 2.47; 95%CI: 1.41-4.31). The higher prevalence of "obvious decay" was associated with the child's age (OR: 1.36; 95%CI: 1.16-1.58), attending a public preschool (OR: 2.38; 95%CI: 1.31-4.34), a larger number of income-dependent individuals (four to five individuals: OR: 1.71; 95%CI: 1.09-2.74; more than five individuals: OR: 3.41; 95%CI: 1.95-5.94), no access to a dentist (OR: 2.14; 95%CI: 1.48-3.09), and lower income (OR: 1.72; 95%CI: 1.19--2.49). It was concluded that the variable of a larger number of income-dependent individuals was associated with both no obvious decay and obvious decay. Child's age, type of preschool, access to a dentist, and income were associated with obvious decay.