Resumo

BONOTTO, Danielle Medeiros Veiga et al. Dental caries and gender in adolescents. RFO UPF [online]. 2015, vol.20, n.2, pp. 202-207. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objective: To assess the influence of gender on the prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene habits, consumption and preference for sugar at the beginning of adolescence. Subjects and method: A representative cross-sectional study of adolescents (12 years old) was developed in the city of Araucaria, PR, Brazil. In order to assess the prevalence of untreated caries and oral hygiene, the DMFT and the OHI-S (Simplified Oral Hygiene) indexes were used, respectively. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to measure the consumption of sugar, and a modified version of the Sweet Preference Inventory was applied to investigate the preference for sweet flavors. Results: Boys presented higher presence of plaque (p<0.001) and lower daily brushing frequency than girls (p=0.017). The presence of dental plaque was associated with the prevalence of untreated decayed teeth in both boys (p=0.004) and girls (p<0.001). There was an association between the largest number of daily contacts with food with sucrose and the highest prevalence of untreated decayed teeth, only for girls. Regarding the consumption of food with sucrose, preference for sweet flavors, and dental caries experience, no significant differences were found between genders. Conclusion: Gender did not affect the prevalence of untreated caries in 12-year-old adolescents. Oral hygiene in adolescence was influenced by gender. The consumption of sugary food was associated with the prevalence of untreated caries, only for girls.

Palavras-chave : Dental caries.; Adolescent.; Gender and health.; Dental plaque..