Valutazione Epidemiologica Sulla Distribuzione Delle Vulnerabilità Sociali E Sue Ripercussioni Sullo Stato Di Salute Orale

Dental caries and periodontal disease pose a significant health challenge for the entire population, particularly affecting socio-economically disadvantaged individuals who are more vulnerable to these diseases. The inadequacy of the current healthcare response to the oral health needs of vulnerable individuals has led to the development of a new dental approach with economically sustainable and health-effective interventions. The aim of this project was to evaluate a diagnostic-therapeutic pathway designed to prevent and manage carious disease. A prevention and treatment protocol for carious disease (protocol-AQ) was developed for socially vulnerable individuals and gradually implemented at the Dental Clinic of the University of L'Aquila. The sample included 150 patients aged between 4 and 14 years who were monitored at T0 (initial visit) and T1 (one year post-treatment). Clinical data including DMFT/dmft index, caries prevalence and incidence as well as socioeconomic information were collected. The percentage ratio between the sub-indices DMT/dmt, MT/mt, and the entire DMFT/dmft was compared, and the percentage of restoration failures following minimally invasive treatments were assessed. At T0, the mean DMFT/dmft was 3.2, with a DMT/dmt of 3.07 (93.7% of the total) and a low FT/ft of 0.11 (6.3%). At T1, the DMFT/dmft decreased to 1.06, showing a 60.1% reduction compared to T0. Among 284 minimally invasive treatments, 17.2% experienced restoration failure. Participants with higher caries indices were more likely to come from low-income families, consume high-sugar diets, practice poor oral hygiene, and have irregular visits to dental healthcare services. The findings of this project highlight the effectiveness of continuous patient management and repeated educational interventions over an occasional treatment approach. Furthermore, minimally invasive treatments such as Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), Interim Therapeutic Restoration (ITR), and the use of fluoride varnishes resulted in a 60.1% reduction in caries, showing results superior to those reported in the literature (27% vs. 38.7%-53%).