Factors associated with tooth caries development in foreign academics of a Brazilian university

The study aimed to identify the factors associated with caries development in foreign individuals recently admitted to a Brazilian university. This is a cross-sectional, analytical and quantitative study conducted between 2017 and 2018 at the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony. A questionnaire was applied, addressing the themes: socioeconomic and demographic aspects; self-perception and oral hygiene habits; behaviors in oral health and cariogenic diet. Carious, lost and obturated teeth (DMFT index) and salivary pH were quantified. The oral microbiota was collected for isolation and identification of Candida spp. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used, assuming a value of p <0.05. The average CPOD index was higher among the students with a poor self-perception of oral hygiene and who used toothbrushes and dentifrices. This average was higher among the students who had Candida spp. isolated from their oral cavity and with salivary pH equal to 7. It is concluded that the use of dental floss, the search for dental care and the cariogenic feeding are associated to the development of the students' carious process. Also contributing to this process are the salivary pH and the presence of Candida.