ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Relationship
Between the Educational Level and the Self-Perception of Dental Caries in
Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years in Sucre Parish in 2025
Relación
entre el grado de instrucción y la autopercepción de caries dental en adultos
entre los 18 a 64 años en la parroquia Sucre del 2025
Marco Aguirre Zavala 1.
Diana Álvarez Álvarez 2. Ebingen Villavicencio Caparó 3
1
Estudiante Universidad Católica de Cuenca. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1862-7848
2
Docente Universidad Católica de Cuenca. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7046-2137
3
Docente
Universidad Católica de Cuenca. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4411-4221
Correspondencia:
evillavicencioc@ucacue.edu.ec
Recibido:
29/04/2026 Aceptado: 28/06/2026
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Critical epidemiology posits that an individual's social position within the
productive process determines their way of life, which in turn conditions the
health-disease process, building a profile of either deterioration or
protection; the educational attainment of adults is a precursor to this
insertion. Objective: To analyze the relationship between educational level and
the self-perception of dental caries
in adults aged 18 to 64 years during 2025. Materials and Methods: A descriptive
study was conducted with a sample of 433 adults from Sucre Parish. A structured
survey was applied to collect sociodemographic information and evaluate the
self-perception of dental caries. Data were analyzed through descriptive
statistics and association tests to determine the relationship between
educational level and the self-perception of dental caries. Results: Twenty-eight point four percent (28.4%) of the participants
reported perceiving dental caries, while 71.6% indicated that they did not
consider it present. The most affected activities were eating (18.0%) and
smiling or showing the teeth (11.8%), with mild and moderate levels of impact
prevailing. A statistically significant association was found between
educational level and the self-perception of dental caries (p = 0.039), with
higher self-perception observed among individuals with lower educational
levels. Conclusion: The self-perception of dental caries in adults does not
depend only on the presence of the disease, but also on educational level.
Educational level influences how individuals recognize and value their oral
health, which highlights the importance of considering social factors in
prevention and health promotion strategies.
Keywords: Dental
caries. Self-perception. Oral health. Educational level
RESUMEN
Introducción: La epidemiología crítica,
plantea que la posición social de la persona dentro del proceso productivo,
determina su modo de vida y este condiciona el proceso de salud-enfermedad
construyendo un perfil de deterioro o de protección, el grado de instrucción de
personas adultas es un precursor de esta inserción. Objetivo: Analizar la
relación entre el grado de instrucción y la autopercepción de caries dental
en adultos de 18 a 64 años durante el año 2025. Materiales y Métodos: Se
realizó un estudio de tipo
descriptivo correlacional en una muestra de 433 adultos pertenecientes a la
parroquia Sucre. Se aplicó una encuesta estructurada que permitió recopilar
información sociodemográfica y evaluar la autopercepción de caries dental. Los
datos fueron analizados mediante estadística descriptiva y pruebas de
asociación para determinar la relación entre el nivel educativo y la
autopercepción de caries. Resultados: El 28,4% de los participantes
manifestó auto percibir caries dental, mientras que el 71,6% indicó no
considerarla presente. Las actividades diarias más afectadas fueron comer
alimentos (18,0%) y sonreír o mostrar los dientes (11,8%), predominando niveles
de afectación leve y moderada. Se encontró una asociación estadísticamente
significativa entre el grado de instrucción y la autopercepción de caries
dental (p= 0,039), observándose mayor autopercepción en personas con menor
nivel educativo. Conclusión: La autopercepción de caries dental en adultos no
depende únicamente de la presencia de la enfermedad, sino también del nivel
educativo. El grado de instrucción influye en la forma en que las personas
reconocen y valoran su salud bucal, lo que resalta la importancia de considerar
factores sociales en las estrategias de promoción y prevención.
Palabras
clave: Caries dental. Autopercepción. Salud oral. Grado de instrucción
INTRODUCTION
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral
diseases worldwide and represents a major public health problem due to its high
frequency and its functional, aesthetic, and social consequences (1–2).
This condition affects individuals of all ages; however, its impact in
adulthood is particularly relevant because it develops progressively during its
initial stages, which may delay timely diagnosis and treatment. Dental caries
develops through the demineralization of the hard tissues of the tooth caused
by acids produced by the bacterial metabolism of carbohydrates (3–5).
Despite advances in dentistry, this disease continues to be one of the leading
causes of tooth loss, particularly among populations with limited access to
healthcare services and education (6–8).
Oral health depends not only on biological factors but
also on social, economic, and cultural determinants, among which educational
level plays a fundamental role (9–10). The level of education
influences knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to oral care, as well as
the ability to recognize signs and symptoms (11–14).
Self-perception refers to the subjective assessment
that each person makes of their oral health status. It is based on personal
experience and the ability to identify signs such as pain, sensitivity,
discoloration, or cavities. Although it does not replace professional
diagnosis, it influences the decision to seek timely dental care. Adequate
self-perception allows problems to be detected early and appropriate treatment
to be received in a timely manner (15–19).
Different studies have shown that educational level is
associated with oral health self-perception. Individuals with higher
educational attainment have greater knowledge and awareness regarding oral
care. In contrast, those with lower educational levels tend to have an
inadequate perception of their oral health, which may contribute to the
development of dental caries. This situation is more evident in communities
with limited access to education and healthcare services (20–23).
In the Sucre parish of Cuenca canton, there is an
adult population in which educational level may influence the self-perception
of dental caries. However, few studies have analyzed this relationship in this
context. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between
educational level and self-perception of dental caries among adults aged 18 to
64 years during 2025. The results may contribute to the development of
preventive strategies aimed at improving oral health.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
The study design was non-experimental,
cross-sectional, and correlational, as it allowed the variables to be described
and their relationship to be analyzed. The study was conducted in the field, as
the data were collected directly from the population of the Sucre parish. The
technique used was a structured survey. The research was cross-sectional
because the data were collected during a single period in 2025 using a
door-to-door survey strategy.
The study population consisted of individuals aged 18
to 64 years residing in the Sucre parish of Cuenca canton, according to the
following selection criteria:
Inclusion criteria
All adults of both sexes within the specified age
range (18 to 64 years) who resided in the Sucre parish and voluntarily agreed
to participate were included. Individuals of both sexes who were residents of
the area and had been surveyed within the previous five years were also
included.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals with disabilities and healthcare
professionals were excluded.
Sample size
Non-probability convenience sampling was used for this
study. The sample size was calculated using the sampling formula for an unknown
population. Assuming maximum sample variability, p = 0.5 was considered; the
margin of error was set at 5%, and the confidence level at 95%, using the
constant Z = 1.96. The sample size calculation yielded 384 study units;
however, given the accessibility of participants, the sample was increased to
433 individuals, equivalent to an additional 12%, in order to prevent potential
losses.
Data collection instruments
A structured survey was used as the primary data
collection instrument. The first section assessed the respondents' educational
level and other demographic variables. The second section consisted of a survey
assessing self-perception of dental caries and the main discomforts associated
with it. This instrument was validated by Rosales and Encalada
in Cuenca, Ecuador (24).
Data collection procedure
This research was conducted in the Sucre parish,
Cuenca canton, Azuay Province, Ecuador. This area was selected because it is a
growing urban area with a heterogeneous population and access to healthcare
services. Therefore, coordination was established with the Directorate of the
Dentistry Program at Universidad Católica de Cuenca to carry out a larger
project analyzing barriers to access to oral healthcare services in the
institution's area of influence, with the subsequent purpose of assessing the
relevance of the Dentistry Program and its specialties. Following this
expression of interest, approval was requested from the Bioethics Committee of
the same university, and authorization was granted under code
CEISH-UCACUE-2025-078.
For data collection, the surveyors underwent
calibration, and only those who achieved agreement greater than 80% with an
expert were authorized to conduct the surveys. During the community survey, the
surveyor introduced themselves and explained the nature of the study to the
residents, informing them that the survey was anonymous and that the content of
their responses would be handled confidentially. Subsequently, participants
were asked to read and sign the informed consent form. The survey addressed several
aspects of the participants' health; for this study, only responses related to
dental caries and
This project was conducted from July 1, 2025, to
August 30, 2025. Data were collected using paper-based surveys, which were
subsequently digitized using the EPI INFO software. The data were then exported
to IBM SPSS Statistics version 30 for organization, processing, and analysis. A
univariate analysis was performed to describe all population characteristics
and the main study variable. Subsequently, a bivariate analysis was conducted
to assess the statistical relationship between educational level and self-perception
of dental caries using the chi-square test of independence.
RESULTS
Among the 433 inhabitants surveyed, a higher
proportion of men (54.5%) than women (45.5%) participated in the study. Most
participants were in the 18–44-year age group, accounting for 75.5% of the
sample, indicating that the study population consisted predominantly of young
adults.
Regarding educational level, 51.0% of the sample had
university-level education, followed by participants with secondary education,
who represented 34.4%. Lower educational levels, such as primary education
(3.0%) and no formal education (0.2%), had minimal representation. This
indicates that the study population predominantly had a medium to high
educational level (Table 1).
Table
1. Sociodemographic Variables
|
Characteristic |
N |
% |
|
Sex |
||
|
Female |
197 |
45.5 |
|
Male |
236 |
54.5 |
|
Total |
433 |
100.0 |
|
Age |
||
|
18 to 44 years |
327 |
75.5 |
|
45 to 64 years |
106 |
24.5 |
|
Total |
433 |
100.0 |
|
Educational level |
||
|
No formal education |
1 |
0.2 |
|
Primary education |
13 |
3.0 |
|
Secondary education |
149 |
34.4 |
|
Technical higher education |
49 |
11.3 |
|
University education |
221 |
51.0 |
|
Total |
433 |
100.0 |
Regarding self-perception of dental caries, 71.6% of
the inhabitants of the Sucre parish reported not perceiving dental caries. This
indicates that fewer than one-third of the participants recognized the presence
of this condition (Table 2).
Table 2. Self-Perception of Dental Caries
|
Self-Perception
of Dental Caries |
N |
% |
|
Perceives
dental caries |
123 |
28.4 |
|
Does not perceive dental caries |
310 |
71.6 |
|
Total |
433 |
100.0 |
When analyzing daily activities affected by the
presence of dental caries, the most affected activity was eating food, at
18.0%. Other activities were also affected, including smiling or showing one's
teeth (11.8%) and brushing one's teeth (11.5%). In contrast, activities such as
interacting with other people (6.0%) and speaking clearly (6.7%) were the least
affected (Table 3).
Table
3. Impact on Daily Activities
|
Activity |
Yes |
No |
Total |
|
n |
% |
n |
|
|
Eating
food |
78 |
18.0 |
355 |
|
Speaking
clearly |
29 |
6.7 |
404 |
|
Brushing
one's teeth |
50 |
11.5 |
383 |
|
Resting |
42 |
9.7 |
391 |
|
Maintaining
a good mood |
36 |
8.3 |
397 |
|
Smiling, laughing, and showing one's teeth |
51 |
11.8 |
382 |
|
Doing
schoolwork |
29 |
6.7 |
404 |
|
Interacting
with other people |
26 |
6.0 |
407 |
Regarding the severity of the impact, most
participants reported no problems. When an impact was present, mild or moderate
severity predominated. The activity of eating food showed moderate impairment
in 7.6% of participants and mild impairment in 7.2%. Severe levels were low
across all activities, with the highest proportion observed for smiling and
laughing, at 3.5% (Table 4).
Table 4. Severity of the Impact on Daily Activities in
Relation to Self-Perception
|
Activity |
Mild |
Moderate |
Severe |
Does
not perceive |
Total |
|
n |
% |
n |
% |
n |
|
|
Eating
food |
31 |
7.2 |
33 |
7.6 |
14 |
|
Speaking
clearly |
10 |
2.3 |
13 |
3.0 |
6 |
|
Brushing
one's teeth |
26 |
6.0 |
19 |
4.4 |
5 |
|
Resting |
20 |
4.6 |
15 |
3.5 |
7 |
|
Maintaining
a good mood |
16 |
3.7 |
14 |
3.2 |
6 |
|
Smiling, laughing, and showing one's teeth |
14 |
3.2 |
22 |
5.1 |
15 |
|
Doing
schoolwork |
13 |
3.0 |
8 |
1.8 |
8 |
|
Interacting
with other people |
8 |
1.8 |
11 |
2.5 |
7 |
When analyzing the bivariate association (Table 5), an
inverse gradient was observed between educational level and self-perception of
dental caries (p = 0.039). Participants with lower educational attainment
(primary education) reported the highest proportion of self-perceived dental
caries (61.54%). In contrast, among participants with secondary, technical
higher, and university education, the percentages of self-perceived dental
caries decreased to 28.19%, 24.49%, and 27.15%, respectively, indicating a higher
proportion of individuals who did not perceive the presence of the condition.
Table 5. Association Between Educational Level and
Self-Perception of Dental Caries
|
Educational level |
Self-Perception
of Dental Caries |
Total |
p |
||||
|
Perceives dental caries |
Does not
perceive dental caries |
||||||
|
n |
% |
n |
% |
n |
% |
||
|
Primary education |
8 |
61,54 |
5 |
38,46 |
13 |
3,00 |
0,039 |
|
Secondary education |
42 |
28,19 |
107 |
71,81 |
149 |
34,41 |
|
|
No formal education |
1 |
100,00 |
0 |
0,00 |
1 |
0,23 |
|
|
Technical higher education |
12 |
24,49 |
37 |
75,51 |
49 |
11,32 |
|
|
University education |
60 |
27,15 |
161 |
72,85 |
221 |
51,04 |
|
|
Total |
123 |
28,41 |
310 |
71,59 |
433 |
100,00 |
|
DISCUSSION
The present study aimed to analyze the self-perception
of dental caries and its relationship with educational level among inhabitants
of the Sucre parish. It was found that 28.4% of participants reported
perceiving dental caries, whereas 71.6% indicated that they did not perceive
its presence.
Regarding daily activities, the activity most affected
in the present study was eating food (18.0%), followed by smiling or showing
one's teeth (11.8%) and brushing one's teeth (11.5%). These results are
consistent with those reported by Salvador and Toassi
(26). Conversely, activities such as speaking clearly (6.7%) and
interacting with other people (6.0%) were the least affected. In this regard, Goettems et al. (27) demonstrated that the
negative impact on oral health perception increased significantly in the
presence of dental pain and fear of dental treatment, reaching prevalence
ratios of up to 2.95 among patients experiencing both pain and fear.
Regarding severity, mild or moderate levels
predominated, and most participants reported no perceived impairment. Sánchez
and Villavicencio (28), meanwhile, reported that adults in the
Ecuadorian highlands tend to prioritize other economic and family needs over
oral health, which reduces the expression of discomfort. This behavior could
explain why, although discomfort was reported in certain daily activities,
severe impact was low.
One of the most relevant findings of this study was
the statistically significant association between educational level and
self-perception of dental caries (p = 0.039). It was observed that 61.54% of
participants with primary education perceived themselves as having dental
caries, whereas this percentage decreased to 27.15% among those with university
education. This finding indicates that educational level influenced the way
individuals recognized their oral health condition.
In this context, Abreu et al. (29) explain
that oral diseases are deeply influenced by social determinants such as
education, income, and social environment. They point out that educational
level not only influences the presence of disease but also the perception of
health status and the use of dental services. This supports the findings of the
present study, in which educational level showed a significant influence on
self-perception.
Similarly, Ortega et al. (30) reported
statistically significant associations between dental caries and low
self-perception of oral health, with p-values < 0.01. Therefore, these
findings suggest that the perception of disease depends not only on its
clinical presence but also on social conditions such as education. Thus, both
the disease itself and the educational context influence how individuals
recognize their oral health status.
The finding of greater self-perception of dental
caries among individuals with primary education (61.54%) compared with those
with university education (27.15%) may be explained by the accumulation of oral
health inequalities. Among individuals with lower educational attainment,
limited access to primary preventive measures and timely restorative dental
care often leads to advanced stages of the disease, such as severe cavitation,
pain, or difficulty chewing, which facilitates symptomatic recognition by the
individual. Conversely, among individuals with higher educational levels, lower
self-perception may reflect both a lower actual prevalence of disease and the
presence of incipient, non-cavitated lesions that go unnoticed without
specialized clinical examination.
In the adult population of the Sucre parish,
self-perception of dental caries was unevenly distributed and was significantly
associated with educational level (p = 0.039). Adults with lower educational
attainment (primary education) reported substantially higher self-perception of
dental caries (61.54%) compared with those with higher education (27.15%). This
demonstrates that educational attainment acts as a fundamental social
determinant that influences not only exposure to risk factors but also the symptomatic
experience and recognition of oral health deterioration. Although most
participants did not perceive severe impairment, the functional impact on key
daily activities—particularly chewing and the aesthetic and social dimensions
of smiling—demonstrates that dental caries generates cumulative limitations in
adults' quality of life.
These findings reinforce the need to move beyond
strictly biological approaches and promote public oral health policies focused
on social equity. It is recommended that participatory assessment and
self-perception be integrated into primary healthcare strategies, while future
studies should also incorporate objective clinical assessments, such as the
DMFT index or ICDAS, to reduce the gap between perceived and clinically
diagnosed disease.
Among the limitations of this study were its
cross-sectional design and the use of non-probability sampling, which restrict
causal inference and the generalizability of the findings to the entire
population of the canton. Furthermore, the assessment of dental caries was
based on self-report through a structured survey without concomitant clinical
validation, such as the DMFT index or ICDAS. Nevertheless, the achieved sample
size (n = 433) and the calibration of the surveyors provide robustness to the
data for understanding oral health perception from a community perspective.
CONCLUSIONS
After analyzing the study variables, it was found that
fewer than one-third of the adults evaluated perceived themselves as having
dental caries and that the impact on their daily activities was mostly mild or
moderate. The activities most affected were eating and smiling, demonstrating
that dental caries continues to influence basic and social aspects of everyday
life.
Furthermore, educational level was found to be
associated with self-perception of dental caries, confirming that the way
individuals understand and recognize their oral health is influenced by social
factors. Therefore, the disease depended not only on its clinical presence but
also on how each individual interpreted it according to their experience,
context, and educational level. Overall, these findings highlight the
importance of considering population perceptions when designing oral health
promotion and prevention strategies, integrating not only clinical diagnosis
but also sociodemographic characteristics.
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AUTHOR
CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT
Conceptualization and study design: Ebingen Villavicencio-Caparó; Literature
review: All authors; Methodology and validation: All authors; Formal analysis:
All authors; Research and data collection: Marco Aguirre Zavala; Data analysis
and interpretation: All authors; Writing—original draft preparation: All
authors; Writing: All authors; Supervision: Diana Alvarez Alvarez;
Project administration: Ebingen Villavicencio-Caparó; Funding acquisition: Not applicable.
CONFLICTS OF
INTEREST
The authors declare that there were no conflicts of
interest during the conduct of this research. The manuscript was submitted
exclusively to the scientific journal Especialidades Odontológicas UG for review and publication.
FUNDING
The authors declare that this research was conducted
using their own funds.
COPYRIGHT
Aguirre Zavala
M. Álvarez Álvarez D. Villavicencio Caparó E. Relationship Between the Educational Level and
the Self-Perception of Dental Caries in Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years in Sucre
Parish in 2025 TRABAJO DE
TITULACIÓN SE COLOCA DEPENDIENDO EL TIPO DE TRABAJO SE ESTE
REALIZANDO PARA MAS INFORMACIÓN PREGUNTAR A SU DOCENTE.