RIESGO CARIOGÉNICO POSPANDEMIA DE COVID-19 Y NIVEL DE CONOCIMIENTO EN SALUD BUCAL DE NIÑOS DE 9 A 12 AÑOS DE LA I. E. JORGE MARTORELL FLORES EN TACNA-PERU

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between caries risk and the level of oral health knowledge in 9- to 12-year-old children attending a school in Tacna, Peru. Materials and Method: A prospective, cross-sectional, observational, and correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of 100 students from Jorge Martorell Flores School. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these students were confined to their homes from March 2020 to 2022. Children whose parents or legal guardians signed an informed consent form were included. To assess caries risk a dental examination was performed on each child, classifying the risk as high, moderate, or low. The level of oral health knowledge was measured using a questionnaire, categorizing the results as poor, fair, good, or very good. The Chi-square test, using SPSS v 26.0 software, was used to determine the association between the variables.
Results: Fifty-one percent of the children presented a moderate caries risk, while 13% presented a high risk. Regarding the level of
knowledge, 70% of the students showed a good level, and 28% a regular level. Conclusions: The results obtained show a statistically significantrelationship between the level of oral health knowledge and caries risk in 9- to 12-year-old children.