Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2007
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
24
Issue:
4

The prevalence and severity of dental pain in 14-15 year old Brazilian schoolchildren

Objective To assess the prevalence and severity of dental pain and associated factors in Brazilian schoolchildren. Methods The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Recife, Brazil. The data were collected through questionnaires, personal interviews and clinical dental examinations of a random sample of 14-15 years old schoolchildren. The prevalence of dental pain and its characteristics were recorded using standard measures of pain. Dental caries, dental trauma and dental plaque were assessed using WHO criteria. Multiple logistic and ordinal polytomous regression were used to assess which factors were associated with the dental pain outcomes. Results 1,052 individuals participated in the study. The prevalence of reported toothache in schoolchildren in the last six months was 33.6% (31.1-36.8, 95% CI). The fully adjusted regression models showed a significant relationship between lower social class, later birth order, failure at school and attendance at the dentist only when in trouble with both the prevalence and severity of dental pain. The major predictor of the prevalence and severity of pain was pattern of dental attendance (p<0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of toothache in 14-15 years old schoolchildren was high. The major predictor of the prevalence and severity of pain was the pattern of dental attendance.

Key words: Dental attendance, dental pain, epidemiology, prevalence, socio-economic status.

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
217
Page End
224
Authors
P.S.A. Goes, R.G. Watt, R. Hardy, A. Sheiham

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - The STROBE initiative and its implications for dental public health research
  2. 194
  3. 197

  1. Evaluation of the Parental Perceptions Questionnaire, a component of the COHQoL, for use in the UK.
  2. 198
  3. 204

  1. Dental care use: does dental insurance truly make a difference in the US?
  2. 205
  3. 212

  1. Private dental health expenditure in Greece by region and income: comparison between the years 1987 and 1998.
  2. 216
  3. 216

  1. The prevalence and severity of dental pain in 14-15 year old Brazilian schoolchildren
  2. 217
  3. 224

  1. Dental caries prevalence among adults in Denmark – the impact of socio-demographic factors and use of oral health services
  2. 225
  3. 232

  1. The effect of advance telephone prompting in a survey of general dental practitioners in Scotland: A randomised controlled trial
  2. 233
  3. 237

  1. Dental caries trends among indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children
  2. 238
  3. 246

  1. Assessment of the reliability and validity of the Dental Neglect Scale in Norwegian adults
  2. 247
  3. 252

  1. Determinants of ECC in Sardinian preschool children
  2. 253
  3. 256

  1. The working practices and career satisfaction of dental therapists in New Zealand
  2. 257
  3. 263

  1. Short Communication - Caries prevalence and location and dental treatment needs in preschoolers in Athens – GENESIS Project
  2. 264
  3. 267

  1. BASCD Presidential Address
  2. 268
  3. 270