Dental treatment needs in children of a continuing education oral health program from Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the oral treatment needs in children of a continuing education oral health program from Rio de Janeiro. A cross-sectional study was conducted with all dental records from healthy patients attended during 2 years. The type of dental treatment needs was grouped as follows: dentistry, endodontics, surgery, orthodontics and periodontics. The treatment was stratified in 3 categories: treatment successfully concluded, patient in treatment, or treatment incomplete. Data were tabulated and submitted to Chi-square or Fisher´s exact tests at a level of significance of 0.05. A total of 410 dental records from patients aged between 0 and 14 years old were analyzed. Fifteen dental records with incomplete data were excluded, yielding a final study sample of 395 patients with a mean age of 8.3 (± 1.8). The more common dental treatments were: dentistry (n=270; 65.9%), extraction (n=127; 31.0%) and orthodontics (n=147; 37.2%). No statistical significance was observed between dental treatment needs and number of siblings (p=0.84). Considering the mother’s occupation no positive association was observed between dental treatment needs and mother housewife (p=0.07). The children presented a high dental treatment needs. These findings suggested poor oral hygiene status, demonstrating the necessity of reinforcement in the oral health programs for these children as well as a special education program for their parents.