Hábitos de higiene dental y fluorosis dental en niños de zonas rurales del Ecuador

Dental fluorosis is an important public health problem in the child population of developing countries. Objective: To determine the association between dental hygiene habits and moderate to severe dental fluorosis in children in the rural area of the canton of Cuenca. Methods: A case (n=109) control (n=128) study was carried out among children from rural parishes in Cuenca between October 2019 and February 2020. Cases were children with moderate to severe dental fluorosis according to Dean's index; while controls were healthy children without dental fluorosis of any type. A previously validated instrument was applied to evaluate dental hygiene habits and sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression models were applied to establish the association between hygiene habits and moderate to severe dental fluorosis.Results: The mean age of the cases was 9.3±1.5 years and 8.6± 1.3 for the controls. The age of the children (OR=1.37 CI95% 1.12;1.67 P=0.002), the use of adult toothpastes from the beginning of brushing (OR=2.38 CI95% 1.23;4.62 P=0.010), and the use of more toothpaste (OR=2.12 CI95% 1.02;4.40 P=0.044) were positively associated with the occurrence of dental fluorosis. Results: The mean age of the cases was 9.3±1.5 years and 8.6± 1.3 for the controls. The age of the children (OR=1.37 CI95% 1.12;1.67 P=0.002), the use of adult toothpastes from the beginning of brushing (OR=2.38 CI95% 1.23;4.62 P=0.010), and the use of more toothpaste (OR=2.12 CI95% 1.02;4.40 P=0.044) were positively associated with the occurrence of dental fluorosis. Conclusion: Age, the use of adult toothpaste and the use of more toothpaste are associated with the risk of dental fluorosis. Strategies to promote proper dental hygiene should be promoted and future studies should analyze the costs and quality of toothpaste sold in Ecuador