The aim of the study was to investigate caries experience levels in the Xavante Indians, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, with a focus on between-group differences. Oral health data were collected in 2004, following WHO guidelines in four of the seven Xavante reserves (Pimentel Barbosa, Sangradouro, Areões and Marechal Rondon). Data were collected in the largest village in each of the reserves, using the DMFS index. Statistical analyses included sex-specific Poisson regressions to compare DMFS values among Xavante reserves. Prevalence ratios (PR) were used to measure the differences in caries experiences in the 6-to-34-year age group, whose losses varied between 26% and 30%. Xavante from the Pimentel Barbosa community were selected as reference group as they showed a lower prevalence of caries in all age groups. The major difference in DMFS was observed between Pimentel Barbosa and Sangradouro, both in males (PR 2.68, 95%CI 2.41-2.97) and in females (PR 2.03, 95%CI 1.85-2.23). The PRs of the filled component in Areões and Marechal Rondon (relative difference to Pimentel Barbosa) were lower, when compared to the total burden of disease observed in those reserves, indicating very low presence of restorative services. It was concluded that the oral health transition among Xavante has not been homogeneous and the differences found in caries experiences can be associated with the particularities of the interaction process between Indians and non-Indians. Local and regional determinants, including factors related to demography, specific economic and socio-cultural characteristics, health care access and type of oral health services received might have influenced the between-group differences in dental caries observed in the Xavante Indians.
Oral health; Caries; DMFS index; Epidemiology; Cross-sectional study; South American Indians
