Self-perception of oral health among schoolchildren in a city of Amazonas, Brazil: related factors

ABSTRACT Objective: The association between self-perception in oral health, history of caries and sex was evaluated in students from São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Methods: The sample was composed of 509 students enrolled in six public schools of the municipal and state education system. The epidemiological study was performed by a calibrated examiner (Kappa=0.98) using the DMF-T and dmf-t indices. Self-perception in oral health was measured using the CPQ8-10 Child Perceptions Questionnaire for children aged between 8 and 10 and the CPQ11-14 for children aged between 11 and 14, in which the domains were oral symptoms, functional limitation, emotional well-being and social well-being. Results: The significance of the associations between the variables was tested using bivariate analysis, and the associations that presented p-values lower than 0.20 (p<0.20) were tested using multiple logistic regression models, the intention being to keep those with p≤0.05. The group aged between 8 and 10 years showed a mean DMF-T of 0.82 (± 1.33) and dmf-t of 2.54 (± 2.59), whilst the group aged between 11 and 14 had a DMF-T of 2.08 (± 2.41) and dmf-t of 1.5 (± 1.77). Conclusion: Sex was the variable that most influenced the dimensions evaluated, followed by the oral condition. The presence of decayed teeth did not influence the children's self-perception about their oral health.