ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
There is a lack of studies evaluating the oral health of traditional indigenous communities in Brazil.
OBJECTIVES:
Thus, the objective of this study was to describe the oral health characteristics of the indigenous Fulni-ô ethnic group in Northeast Brazil.
DESIGN AND SETTING:
A cross-sectional observational investigation was conducted within the Project on Atherosclerosis among Indigenous Populations.
METHODS:
This study included participants of both sexes from the Fulni-ô ethnic group. The participants included in this investigation underwent a comprehensive oral health evaluation by a registered and experienced dentist to assess oral health and identify potentially malignant oral lesions. Participants with suspicious lesions were referred for biopsy. Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney, and Student’s t-tests were used, and measures of central tendency and dispersion were described. Statistical significance was 5%.
RESULTS:
A total of 104 individuals were included in this study. The prevalence of the use of tobacco derivatives was 94.0%, with similarities between sexes. The prevalence of oral changes in this study population was 84.4%. Fifty-one individuals who underwent oral reassessment were referred for oral lesion biopsy.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study demonstrated a high prevalence of oral alterations in the Fulni-ô population. Histopathological analyses indicated the presence of mild oral epithelial dysplasia in five cases.
KEY WORDS (MeSH terms):
Oral health; Tobacco use disorder; Epidemiology; Indigenous peoples; Pathology
AUTHORS’ KEY WORDS:
Health of indigenous peoples; Cross-sectional study; Health, public; Oral epithelial dysplasia; Oral cavity
Thumbnail
Thumbnail
