Dental caries in preschoolers from communes with fluoridated and non-fluoridated public water supplies in Chile

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries in three- to five-year-old preschool children from two communes in Chile: one with a fluoridated public water supply and the other with a non-fluoridated public water supply. Methods: Study design: Cross-sectional observational study. The sample was composed of 200 children from three to five years old, with good general health, of low socioeconomic status, attending four kindergarten schools of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile. Two schools were located in the commune of Maipu, which does not have fluoridated public water, and two schools were located in the commune of Penalolen, which has had fluoridated public water since 1996, at a fluoride concentration of 0.6 mg/L. The WHO (World Health Organization) methodology was used to measure the percentage of caries-free children, and the dmft index was used to measure the severity of the disease. Results: The results showed that 24% of the children in Maipu were caries free, compared to 55% in Penalolen. The dmft index was 3.38 and 1.84 in Maipu and Penalolen, respectively. These indices increased with age. Conclusion: The prevalence and severity of dental caries in three- to five-year-old preschoolers were higher in Maipu, the commune with non-fluoridated water, than in Penalolen, the commune with fluoridated water.