Increase in dental caries and change in the socioeconomic profile of families in a child cohort of the primary health care in Northeast Brazil

Table 2 Univariate analysis between the increase in dental caries and risk factors of the sample

Variable	Sample (n)	Increase in dmft^a (Mean ± SD)	P-value^b
Total sample	469	2.45 ± 2.56
Sex
Female	227	2.70 ± 2.55	0.0138^b
Male	242	2.42 ± 2.56
Total	469	2.45 ± 2.56
Age
5 years	45	2.82 ± 2.93	0.6954
6 years	165	2.45 ± 2.71
7 years	259	2.39 ± 2.40
Total	469	2.45 ± 2.56
Mother’s education level
< 8 years	47	3.00 ± 2.52	0.0002^b
8 to 10 years	243	2.79 ± 2.68
11 years or more	175	1.85 ± 2.30
Total	465	2.46 ± .2.57
Mother’s occupation
Specialized	8	1.13 ± 2.10	0.1876^b
Semi-specialized	58	1.98 ± 2.42
Non-specialized	178	2.61 ± 2.67
Unemployed	217	2.49 ± 2.52
Total	461	2.45 ± 2.57
Father’s occupation
Specialized	15	1.80 ± 2.34	0.2891
Semi-specialized	222	2.26 ± 2.46
Non-specialized	198	2.73 ± 2.71
Unemployed	28	2.32 ± 2.50
Total	463	2.45 ± 2.57
Number of people in the household
Up to 3	119	2.58 ± 2.80	0.4734
4 to 5	219	2.31 ± 2.51
6 or more	128	2.55 ± 2.40
Total	466	2.44 ± 2.56
Length of time the child lived in the area			0.5902
Less than 5 years	18	2.61 ± 2.52
5 years or more	451	2.45 ± 2.57
Total	469	2.45 ± 2.56
Consumption of sweets between meals
Never	83	1.73 ± 2.37	0.0001^b
Sometimes	201	2.16 ± 2.47
Daily	182	3.11 ± 2.67
Total	466	2.46 ± 2.57
Frequency of brushing			0.0294^b
Never/Sometimes	56	3.13 ± 2.73
Daily	411	2.37 ± 2.53
Total	467	2.46 ± 2.57
Type of school			0.0001^b
Private	195	1.78 ± 2.31
Public	260	2.97 ± 2.63
Total	463	2.45 ± 2.56
Use of PHC dental services			0.6832
Yes	362	2.48 ± 2.55
No	107	2.36 ± 2.60
Total	469	2.45 ± 2.56
Use of private dental services			0.1265^b
Yes	82	2.94 ± 2.80
No	381	2.36 ± 2.51
Total	463	2.46 ± 2.57

^aCaries index, mean dmft (decayed, missing and filled teeth) index, SD standard deviation
^bThe significance (p ≤ 0.05) of the increment dmft scores as measured by the Kruskal-Wallis test

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