Enfermedad bucodental y masticación de hoja de coca en pobladores peruanos

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between oral disease and coca leaf chewing in Peruvian residents. A basic methodology, quantitative approach, non-experimental cross-sectional and co-rrelational design was proposed, made up of a sampling frame of 70 residents who received dental care in a health establishment in the department of Ancash. An odontogram and a previously validated questionnaire were used to measure the variables under study. It was obtained that 49 residents chew coca leaf with a higher prevalence in the age group of 46 to 52 years, with a predominance of the male sex. Regarding oral diseases such as gingivitis, periodontitis and dental caries, the prevalence was recorded in the range of 40 to 60%. In the inferential analysis, a significant relationship was found between coca leaf chewing with gingivitis (p=0.008) and dental caries (p=0.024). It is concluded that the chewing of coca leaf generates a greater predisposition to gingivitis, as well as decreases dental caries, having to control its excessive consumption to avoid clinical manifestations in the short, medium and long term.