Abstract

RODRIGUES, Ana Paula  and  REIS, Patrícia. Toothbrushing in school and dental caries: a cohort study. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.6, pp.403-408. ISSN 2182-5173.

Objectives: This study evaluated the role of tooth-brushing in school in reducing dental caries in childhood. Study design: Historical cohort study Setting: Public schools in Ovar, Portugal Participants: Four year old children enrolled in public schools in Ovar Methods: 62 children were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of children who brushed their teeth in school during the 21-month study period. The comparison group consisted of children who did not brush teeth at school during the same period. Data were obtained from oral health assessments conducted as part of the National Oral Health Promotion Program. We compared the number of new cavities, decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth (dmft) and decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) between the two groups, after 29 months of follow-up. Results: The risk of dental caries after 29 months was 50,0% for children who brushed their teeth at school and 62,5% for children who did not brush their teeth at school. The relative risk was 0,75 (95% CI: 0,42 to 1,33). The dmft score for children who brushed their teeth was 1,27 (95% CI: 0,69 to 1,94) and 2,28 (95% CI: 1,39 to 3,19) for those who did not brush (p = 0,078). The DMFT score was 0,37 (95% CI: 0,08 to 0,71) for children who their brushed teeth and 0,63 (95% CI: 0,29 - 1,03) for those who did not brush (p = 0,315). Discussion: No statistically significant association was found between tooth-brushing in school and reduction in the risk of dental caries, possibly because of the small sample size size.

Keywords : Toothbrushing; Dental Caries; Cohort Study.

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