Social Inequalities and Geographical Distribution in Caries Treatment Needs among Schoolchildren Living in Buenos Aires City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Caries experience in Argentine children is quite high and no national dataare present. Aim: This cross-sectional observational survey aimed to assess the oral health statusof schoolchildren in Buenos Aires (CABA) using CTNI and to evaluate the ecological associationbetween health inequalities and caries prevalence. Design: Data were collected, via a clusteredprocedure, during the 2016?2018 school years. Children were examined at school to determinedental status according to the CTNI performed under standardized conditions, using light, dentalmirrors, WHO probes and magnification (2.5×). Secondary sources were used to acquire sociodemographicand epidemiological data. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out with themunicipalities of the CABA as the dependent variable and the socio-demographic factors. Results:The study population consisted of 62,904 schoolchildren, 43,571 of whom were enrolled into thestudy. Total caries prevalence was 67.78% while severe caries prevalence was 28.29%, which wasstatistically associated with the year of the survey (p < 0.01). Four territorial conglomerates from asocio-epidemiological standpoint outline homogeneous areas of social risk; cluster 1 had the highestsocial risk. The prevalence of severe caries (CTNI 7?14) was highest in cluster 1 (44.7?53.2% ofthe population). Conclusion: The social inequalities between municipalities of the CABA werestatistically associated with high inequalities in oral health needs.