Social Inequalities and Access to Oral Health: Factors Associated with Dental Caries in the Riverside Children Population in the Amazon Region of ParáObjective: To report the prevalence of caries and its associated factors in children aged 4 to 6 years isolated on two islands in the state of Pará.
Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, involving 170 children from five schools, with clinical examinations based on WHO standards (DMFT and dmft indices) and sociodemographic questionnaires adapted from national surveys, such as SB Brazil. Caries prevalence was calculated as the proportion of children with dmft > 0, expressed as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Bivariate associations between caries prevalence and independent variables were assessed using the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with toothache.
Results: A prevalence of 58.82% for caries was found, with frequent dental pain; associated factors include low income (54.12% with 1-2 minimum wages) and dependence on river transport (74.12%). Logistic regression identified low income (OR = 2.34) and reliance on river transport (OR = 1.89) as significant risk factors.
Conclusion: The need for specific interventions, professional training, and recognition of limitations in generalizing to other contexts is highlighted, with the potential to stimulate reflection in similar realities.
Keywords:
Dental Caries Susceptibility; Healthcare Disparities; Rural Population; Social Determinants of Health.