Dental Caries and Oral Health Behavior Assessment Among Portuguese Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction:It is during the school phase that children and adolescents consolidate healthy behaviors, which will contribute to the decrease of diseases, especially in the reduction of dental caries. The main objective of the present study was to assess the decayed, missing and filled deciduous and permanent teeth index and oral health behaviors among Portuguese adolescents. Materials and methods:An observational cross-sectional study was designed including a sample of 694 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years old from five public schools in the Viseu and Guarda districts, Portugal. After a self-administered questionnaire was filled out by the participants, a clinical examination was carried out in order to assess oral status and dental caries identification. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using the Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p<0.05). Results:The decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index was 2.91±2.9 and the decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth index was 1.10±1.4. Of the total sample, 73% consumed sugary food on a daily basis, 54.7% drank bottled water, 50.1% considered oral health good, 70.8% did not report pain in the last 12 months, but noticed gingival bleeding (51.5%). Most adolescents (79.4%) brushed their teeth daily and 60% did not use dental floss. Of the total sample, 96.4% had a dental appointment in the last 12 months, being 46.4% due to prevention treatments. The high decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth index was associated with low maternal scholarship, male gender and living in a rural residence area (p<0.05). Adolescents who brush their teeth daily presented a good perception about their oral health (p<0.001). Conclusions:Portuguese adolescents presented a low decayed, missing and filled deciduous and permanent teeth index index. The decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth index was associated with sociodemographic factors. Oral hygiene habits were associated with self-perception of oral health. It is suggested that oral health promotion and prevention programs should be improved in schools in order to reduce the risks of oral disease development.