P0796 - Relationship between Dental Visits and Oral Health Symptoms of Children in Chincha Alta, Peru

Introduction: Dental care visits early in life have been shown to be important for preventing early loss of deciduous dentition (primary teeth) in high risk children. The maintenance of deciduous dentition is important in preventing the spread of infection from deciduous teeth to successional dentition, and preventing eruption issues such as crowding, malalignment, and premature eruption. Peru has recently aligned with World Health Organization’s goal of increasing access to preventive care, including dental care. The aim of this study was to examine the utilization of dental health care by children in a small coastal city, Chincha Alta, Peru and explore the relationship with various oral health related symptoms.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using de-identified data from a health fair in Chincha Alta, Peru in June 2019. Parents of children >1 year of age completed a survey evaluating basic demographic information, utilization of dental health services, and oral health related symptoms in the past year. Associations between dental health services utilization and oral health symptoms were determined via logistic regression.

Results: Parents of 78 children (median: 3.3 years, range: 1-6 years, 57% female) completed questionnaires. Sixty-three percent of the children had previously been to a dentist for a checkup or a cleaning. Children who had been to the dentist were significantly less likely to have experienced gingival bleeding in the past 12 months (6%) compared to children who had never been to the dentist (25%, p = 0.048). Children who had not been to a dentist had 5 times greater odds of reporting gingival bleeding in the past year, after accounting for age and sex (p=0.032, 95% CI: 1.2, 25). There were no significant differences in the past 12 month history of tooth decay (dentist: 25%, no dentist: 25%, p = 0.93) or toothache (dentist: 25%, no dentist: 11%, p = 0.63) based on prior dental visits.

Discussion: The most common cause of gingival bleeding in children is chronic gingivitis, a condition that can predispose to periodontal diseases overtime. Children who had previously visited a dental health provider were significantly less likely to experience gingival bleeding, suggesting a potential protective role of preventive dental care. Despite this, more than one-third of the children surveyed had never visited a dental provider, suggesting a possible need for increased awareness and access to dental services in Peru. Future research should identify factors that contribute to the lack of dental care utilization, and explore components of the dental visit (education, fluoride treatment, cleanings, etc) that offer the greatest protective effect.