Malocclusion and Associated Factors in Early Childhood and Knowledge Level of Mothers from Childcare Groups

Objective: To determine the prevalence of malocclusion and associated factors in children and the level of knowledge of mothers participating in the child care group of a basic health unit. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in children between 18 and 72 months of a childcare group in Pelotas. Children whose parents or legal guardians signed the informed consent term participated in the study. Data were collected through a questionnaire previously tested and applied to the mothers, and a clinical examination of children's occlusion were performed by examiners after training and calibration. Statistical analysis was descriptive and analytic. In the bivariate analyses, it was used the Pearson, Fisher or Linear Trend Qui-Square tests and, in the multivariate analysis, the Poisson regression. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained, and a p-value