Factores familiares asociados con la prevalencia de Fluorosis dental en niños escolares en Cartagena-Colombia

Abstract

Objective: To assess the association between the prevalence of dental fluorosis and family factors responsible for fluoride intake Design: Cross-sectional study Location: Municipality of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Participants: 588 mother-child pairings attending university dental clinics between the years 2009-2010 Main measurements: Measurement of Dental fluorosis in children using the Thylstrup and Fejerskov index and family factors responsible for fluoride intake by way of a survey aimed at mothers. For the clinical examination, intra- and inter-examiner standardization was conducted using a clinical observer as a reference. The exploration of the association was analysed with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Multivariable analysis by nominal logistic regression, including factors with probabilities below 0. Results: The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 64,8%, with the classification "slight" being the most frequent. By way of multivariable analysis, the best model showed statistical significance (p<0,0001) for the variables: frequency of teeth brushing three times per day (OR=1,68), use of toothpaste with high fluoride content in ppm (OR=2,21) and the intake of toothpaste at times different from brushing (OR=1,65). Conclusions: The family factors responsible for the use of toothpaste with a high fluoride content were those which gave the clearest explanation for a possible association with the high prevalence of fluorosis in the study population, which implies an interaction between the beneficial and secondary effects in the use of fluorides in the prevention of tooth decay.