Resumo

SOUZA FILHO, Manoel Dias de; CARVALHO, Gustavo Diego de Farias  e  MARTINS, Maria do Carmo de Carvalho e. Consumption of sugar-rich foods and dental caries in preschool children. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2010, vol.46, n.3, pp. 152-159. ISSN 1516-0939.

Dental caries represent one of the most common diseases in Brazilian children and interfere in the child’s quality of life by causing pain and suffering. The present study aimed to investigate the experience of dental caries and the consumption of sugar-rich foods in preschool children enrolled in a charity institution in Teresina, Brazil. The sample studied consisted of 56 preschool children, of both genders, of 36 to 78 months of age, currently enrolled in the care center in Teresina. Information on diet and oral hygiene habits of children was gathered and intraoral examinations of the preschool children were performed by a single examiner to determine the DMFT index. The values were analyzed by ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-test. The proportion of caries-free preschool children was 19.6%, while the mean DMFT index found was of 3.9. As for food, more than 90.0% of the children consumed foods that were high in extrinsic sugar. Thus, a positive association between the frequency of extracellular non-dairy sugar consumption and the mean DMFT index (p<0.01) could be observed. This study showed that more than 89.0% of preschool children brushed their teeth twice or more per day and that more than 44.0% required no help from an adult. Furthermore, more than one third of the children had never been to a dental appointment. The proportion of caries-free children was lower than the targets set by the World Health Organization for 2000 and 2010. Foods that were high in extrinsic sugar were consumed by nearly all the children, and the DMFT index increased with the consumption of extracellular non-dairy sugar. Moreover, in spite of proper oral hygiene, many preschoolers lacked adequate access to dental services.

Palavras-chave : Diet; Dental caries; Child; Preschool.