Oral health and its association with nutritional status and socioeconomic condition in adolescents

Objective: To assess the oral health of adolescents and its association with nutritional status and socioeconomic condition. Methods: The population consisted of 313 adolescents, aged between 15 and 19 years. DMFT index was assessed using the form proposed by the World Health Organization for epidemiological surveys in oral health. For the diagnosis of nutritional status, body mass index was calculated, classified in accordance with the standard reference of the National Center for Health Statistics and the cut off points recommended by the World Health Organization. Socioeconomic data were obtained using the questionnaire of the Brazilian Association of Advertisers/Brazilian Association of Market Research Institutes. The level of significance adopted was 5%. Results: Predominance of male adolescents (70.9%) aged 15 years (31.3%) was observed. The majority of the adolescents had DMFT higher than zero (81.2%), were eutrophic (88.5%), and were classified socioeconomically as Classes C and D (49.2% and 38.0%, respectively). There was a significant increase in DMFT index means with age (F = 44.65, p <0.001). Greater prevalences of DMFT higher than zero were found among males, among younger adolescents and among those of socioeconomic class C. There was no significant association between the classification of the DMFT and nutritional status. Conclusion: We point out the need for greater focus on preventive dentistry in the primary health care services, with commitment to collective health actions at the different levels of government.