Creencias sobre caries e higiene oral en adolescentes del Valle del Cauca

Objective: To know the beliefs about tooth decay and oral hygiene in adolescents from the Department of Valle of Cauca, Colombia. Methods: The Health Belief Model was used in a descriptive study in 38 out of 42 municipalities of the Department. The sample of 5,400 adolescent students from public and private high schools was selected trough a probabilistic, stratified, tri-stage cluster sampling. A structured questionnaire made of 47 items related to the variables of the study was used. Results: Respecting the etiology, 65% beliefs that dental caries is due to bad oral hygiene, 18% due to bacteria, 7% associates it to the sugar consumption and 10% didn't know; 41% referred that they have had tooth decay already, 14% said that had decay at moment, 37% did not have perceived history of decay; 99.8% answered that they do bush their teeth, the brushing frequency had a median of 3 times per day; 55% uses dental floss and 51% mouth wash; 14% referred that never have visited the dentist and 27% said that visited him/her 7 months ago or more. Conclusions: The use of the Health Belief Model allowed know the basic beliefs about tooth decay and oral hygiene in adolescents of the Valley of Cauca. Beliefs and preventive practices of the participants are not favorable. It is necessary to design preventive interventions for improving perceptions and reducing the presence and effects of the dental caries