Resumo

ALMEIDA, Dino Lopes de et al. Oral health assessment of preschool children aged 4 to 7 years attending a philanthropic daycare center. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2011, vol.59, n.2, pp. 271-275. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective This study assessed the oral health of 143 preschool children aged 4 to 7 years attending a philanthropic daycare center in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. Methods An epidemiological survey was done using caries indices for deciduous teeth (dmft, decayed, pulled due to caries and filled teeth) and permanent teeth (DMFT, decayed, missing and filled teeth) according to the parameters established by the World Health Organization, Gingival Bleeding Index and Visible Plaque Index. The examinations were done by a single individual and a single scorer without prior prophylaxis and before the snack break, under natural light conditions, using a clinical mirror, WHO probe, wooden spatula and erythrosin staining. Results Only 28.47% of the students were caries-free (n = 41). The following results were obtained for dmft and DMFT, respectively, at 4 years (n = 13) 2.62 (± 3.52), at 5 years (n = 49) 2.57 (± 3.82) and 0, 19 (± 0.60) at 6 years (n = 55) 3.37 (± 3.45) and 0.21 (± 0.59) and at 7 years (n = 25) 3.04 (± 2.85) and 0.72 (± 1.51). In the Gingival Bleeding Index, 81.56% of the children presented at least 3 bleeding faces in the crowns of each tooth and in the Visible Plaque Index, 98.95% of the areas were stained. Conclusion The high rates of gingival bleeding and dental caries may be related to some factors peculiar to this group: no oral health prevention and restoration programs, no fluoridation of the public water supply, low socioeconomic and cultural levels and consequently, poor access to health services

Palavras-chave : Epidemiology; Child preschool; Oral health.