Early childhood caries, family functioning, and common mental disorders in a region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Abstract

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the need for dental treatment in preschool children concerning early childhood caries (ECC), evaluated by the School Health Program (SHP); family functioning; and common mental disorders (CMDs) within families in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A structured questionnaire was applied to the main caretaker of the 61 children by telephone contact. The questions addressed socioeconomic and demographic data; the Questionnaire of General Family Functioning (GFF) sought to investigate family functioning; and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) served to screen for CMDs among the main caretakers. Secondary data were collected from the SHP to survey the need for oral health treatments. The dependent variable was the need for tooth restoration or extraction. The data were analyzed descriptively and by Pearson’s chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests (p < 0.05), using SPSS v.22.0. Results: The median age of the children was 5 years old, and 32.8% required treatment for dental caries. There was no association between the need for tooth restoration or extraction and socioeconomic factors, family relations, and the presence of CMDs in the main caretaker (p > 0.05). However, there was a greater frequency of need for treatment in families with low income (24.6%) and with less social support (family and friends < 1). Children whose family was included in the Family Grant Program (62.3%), the respondent was the mother (57.4%), had completed high school or higher (36.1%), no paid work (42.6%), with a traditional or nuclear family structure (27.8%), and living in a house with good sanitary conditions (63.9%) presented a lower frequency of need for treatment. The GFF and SRQ-20 values among preschool children with and without the need for dental treatment were similar. Conclusion: There was a trend of a higher need for ECC treatment in children from families with lower income and less familiar and social support.