Dental caries prevalence in relation to socioeconomic status of nursery school children in Goiânia-GO, Brazil

The study was carried out to assess dental caries in the primary dentition of pre-school children in Goiânia-GO, Brazil, and to assess the influence of socio-economic status. The study population comprised 0-6-yr-old pre-school children (n = 2267) attending public (low SES children) and private (higher SES children) nursery schools. Mean dmft and percent caries-free were 0.09 (96.4%) at 1 year and younger, 0.40 (87.3%) at 2, 1.14 (69.9%) at 3, 2.18 (49.5%) at 4, 3.18 (36.1%) at 5, and 3.94 (29.4%) at age 6 years respectively. Caries prevalence was higher in those attending public nursery school than in those attending private schools (P < 0.05). Amongst children from public nursery schools the highest dmf component was untreated decay while in private nurseries it was filled teeth. The results indicate that social inequalities exist, which influence dental caries experience. It was concluded that oral health programmes for pre-school children emphasizing preventive measures and dental health education should be developed mainly in areas of social deprivation.