ABSTRACT Objective:

To investigate the correlation between human development and dental caries in 12-year-old schoolchildren from the twenty-seven Brazilian states and to analyze the spatial distribution of these variables.

Material and Methods:

This was an ecological study using secondary data from the National Epidemiological Oral Health Survey 2010 and from the United Nations Development Program. Human development was measured by the Human Development Index (HDI) and dental caries by the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth index (DMFT). Dental caries prevalence and experience at the age of 12, and state HDI were entered into Google Sheets® and Google My Maps® for map creation. Data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation (HDI and DMFT, DMFT individual components, prevalence of dental caries and prevalence of dental pain) (p<0.05).

Results:

Prevalence of dental caries ranged from 37.3% to 78.2% among the states. Dental caries was more prevalent in Rondônia (78.2%) and less prevalent in Santa Catarina (37.3%). Mean DMFT ranged from 1.06 to 4.81, with the highest value in Rondônia (4.81) and the lowest in Distrito Federal (1.06). HDI ranged from 0.631 (Alagoas) to 0.863 (Distrito Federal). There were negative correlations between HDI and dental caries (r=-0.504), dental caries experience (r=-0.459), decayed (r=-0.441) and missing (r=-0.441) components of the DMFT (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

Higher human development of the region lower dental caries experience and prevalence in 12-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren.