[Taste preference for sweets and caries prevalence in preschool children].

Objective: To assess the preference for sweetness among preschool children and differences between less and more deprived groups. In addition, to assess whether sweet taste preference was associated with presence of caries.

Methods: The sample was composed by 572 preschool children aged between 4 and 6, distributed in three day nurseries of varied socioeconomic background. Cross-sectional study developed in two steps. Preference for sweetness was assessed using a modified version of the Sweet Preference Inventory. The solutions varied in sugar concentration from 0 to 1,17 molar (0 to 400 g / litre). The presence of caries was assessed using the defs index. The socioeconomic status of the sample was classified according to the origin of domicile.

Results: The variation in preference for sweetness in our sample was too small. Most children preferred the sweetest juice. This reduced the ability of this variable to explain variation in caries prevalence. Despite this limitation, our results showed that socioeconomic level influenced preference for sweetness, which in turn was associated with caries prevalence.

Conclusion: The socioeconomic status influence the sweetness preference and this, in turn, is associated with the dental caries prevalence.