Influência da concentração de sacarose da dieta e do acesso ao fluoreto na prevalência de cárie dentária

Abstract

The importance of diet in the etiology of dental caries is well defined. The cariogenic attack is directly proportional to the frequency of consumption of sucrose, considering the other etiological factors and the mitigating factors in pathogenesis. However, the influence of the concentration of this disaccharide in cariogenic attack is little discussed. The aim of this observational study was to investigate the possible influence of the concentration of sucrose in caries prevalence, considering the frequency of intake and access to fluoride. The study was conducted in two Early Childhood Centers (CEINFs), located in the cities of Campo Grande (MS) and Sidrolândia (MS), respectively with and without fluoridated drinking water. It was verified the frequency of sugar consumption by children and the concentration of carbohydrates in foods offered for five meals daily. Caries prevalence was determined by dmft, according to the criteria of the Ministry of Health, the sample consisted of 166 children belonging to the age group 2-5 years old. The determination of fluoride in drinking water was carried out using the specific electrode. The concentration sugar was determined according to the protocol of Anvisa’s analysis for foods. For the analysis of caries index, we applied the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The concentrations of sugars were analyzed by Student's t test assuming a significance level of 5%. The concentration of fluoride in the water in Campo Grande (MS) and Sidrolândia (MS) were, respectively, 0.7 and 0.05 ppm F-. The prevalence of caries in Sidrolândia was 61.8% of children with and 33.8% in Campo Grande, with an average of decayed teeth per child of 0.90 in first city and 2.95 in this last. There was no significant difference between the concentrations of glucose (p=0.35) and starch (p=0.45) in the localities surveyed. The difference between the concentrations of sucrose was statistically significant (p = 0.0064), with the city with the highest dmft offering significantly greater amount of sucrose in food. It was concluded that in addition to the consumption of fluoridated water and frequency of sucrose intake, the concentration of sugar in the diet is a predisposing factor to the increased prevalence of dental caries.