Estado de salud bucal en niños de instituciones educativas públicas y privadas del Municipio Libertador, Mérida-Venezuela.

Abstract

The determine the oral health status of school children and their relationship to the type of school: public and private. A correlational descriptive study was carried out in a population of 287 children, aged between 6 and 12 years, 143 children of La Salle School (private) and 144 children of La Salle Hermano Luis (public). We studied the presence of detritus, dental calculus and periodontal signs with descriptive analysis and Chi square. In the private school 95.8% presented detritus, 25.8% presented calculus and 34.9% presented signs of periodontal disease. In the public school 97.2% presented detritus, 32.6% presented calculus and 46.6% presented signs of periodontal disease. Was observed presence of detritus in 2/3 and 3/3 of the tooth surface in a high percentage of the public school children, while in the majority of private school children was observed in only 1/3 of the surface. The students of the public institution had higher rates of detritus (p = 0.0000) and of periodontal disease (p = 0.045) compared to private school children. No differences were found in relation to dental calculus. Using this indicator in larger studies, could quickly visualize the oral health status of Venezuelan children, to act accordingly in reducing the prevailing conditions, which may require not only curative actions but must be complemented by educational programs aimed specifically at children of public schools and their families, according to results reported by this study.