Oral Hygiene: changes of knowledge and habits from a generation to another in a low-income population

Abstract

The dental caries have declined remarkably among the population of Londrina. In the developed countries, the use of fluoridated dentifrice (toothpaste) can be considered as the only common factor amongst the countries that showed a decline of caries prevalence. In Brazil, information about the impact fluoridation of the main dentifrice (toothpaste) sold in the market may have caused on the epidemiological profile as well as the extent of this measure on low-income population, are not available. In the present study, from a low-income population in the southern region of Londrina, 39 children, together with their mothers were interviewed with the purpose of verifying the knowledge held between the two generations (mothers and children). The questions applied by means of a questionnaire were about dental cleaning, use of toothbrushes, use of toothpaste, number of daily tooth brushing, period of time for hygiene and orientations received. The results show a significant difference of knowledge as well as of behavior between the two generations. The children brush their teeth for a long period of time, more often every day and care more well-informed by the dentist, the school the television or their own mothers. Their mothers, on the other hand, brush their teeth less and for a shorter period of time, besides being more careless concerning this subject, for 61,53% of the interviewed mothers stated that they never received any kind of information about dental hygiene.