Oral health and visual acuity conditions of students in a municipality of Baixo Amazonas

Abstract

Objective  To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and visual acuity deficiency in elementary school students of the public school system in the municipality of Barreirinha- AM and check the factors associated with these conditions.

Method  Cross-sectional study with 1,828 students aged 6 to 17 in the public school system of the municipality-of Barreirinha-AM. The dental cavity evaluation followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization using the established criteria for dental conditions, for deciduous as for permanent teeth: decayed, missing and filled. The Significant Caries Index was used to measure the dental caries severity in the individuals most affected by this disease. Visual acuity was assessed and age, sex and school were analyzed.

Results  It became evident high prevalence of dental cavities, inequality in its distribution, and relation between this disease and gender (p=0.005). The visual deficit frequency was low among the students.

Conclusion and implications for practice  The study indicates a lack of dental restoration treatment and high dental cavity prevalence, highlighting the need for planning and development of oral health promotion actions, with the purpose of minimizing the aggravations caused by the disease.

Keywords:  Visual Acuity; Oral Health; DMF Index; Students; Prevalence