Perfil de higiene bucal, uso y compra de crema dental en niños de la ciudad de Bucaramanga

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction. Proper oral brushing, as a hygiene practice, is a means of preventing dental diseases. The lack or absence of prior knowledge about education in oral hygiene and oral health are factors that lead to not developing good habits and consequently developing oral diseases in children. For this reason, the use of toothpaste as an oral cleaning element is considered of great importance; its use and proper consumption contributes to the maintenance of good oral health by children and their families. Objective. Identify the oral hygiene habits’ profile, use, and purchase of toothpaste in children from first to fifth grade of the Jorge Isaac Integrated School in the city of Bucaramanga in the first semester of 2020. Materials and methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. An instrument was applied virtually through the Google forms tool that was answered by the minor's guardian to recognize the social-demographic variables and the profile of toothpaste consumption. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Stata / MP version 14.0 statistical package. The univariate analysis presents absolute frequencies and percentages for the qualitative variables; Quantitative data are presented with mean and standard deviation. In the bivariate analysis, Fisher's exact test was applied for qualitative variables. Results. 137 answered surveys were evaluated. 45.26% of the people belonged to stratum 4, 56.93% were women. 40.88% of those surveyed make use of a brush and cream as the last element of oral hygiene, this is also highlighted with a higher prevalence of choice by the family custom of the Colgate brand. 48.91% of children begin their oral cleaning before the first year of life. In the bivariate analysis, it is evident that the educational level of the caregiver as well as the brand of toothpaste are different according to the socioeconomic stratum. Conclusion. The educational level of the parents is directly related to the oral hygiene habits of the children. Proper management is executed with respect to basic oral hygiene elements.