Characterization of Oral Health Conditions and Somatic Growth of Wayuu Children and Adolescents from the Department of La Guajira, Colombia.

Caracterización de las condiciones de salud oral y crecimiento somático de niños y adolescentes Wayuu del departamento de la Guajira, Colombia

Published 2026-03-25


https://doi.org/10.30554/archmed.26.1.5539.2026
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Vol. 26 No. 1 (2026): Revista Archivos de Medicina (Manizales)
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Artículos de Investigación
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Aguirre-Acevedo, J. ., Martínez–Oropeza, M. A. ., RUIZ GARCÍA, L. A., López Rodríguez, Y. N. ., & Aguilera-Rojas, S. E. . (2026). Characterization of Oral Health Conditions and Somatic Growth of Wayuu Children and Adolescents from the Department of La Guajira, Colombia. Archivos De Medicina , 26(1). https://doi.org/10.30554/archmed.26.1.5539.2026
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https://doi.org/10.30554/archmed.26.1.5539.2026
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Aguirre-Acevedo, J. ., Martínez–Oropeza, M. A. ., RUIZ GARCÍA, L. A., López Rodríguez, Y. N. ., & Aguilera-Rojas, S. E. . (2026). Characterization of Oral Health Conditions and Somatic Growth of Wayuu Children and Adolescents from the Department of La Guajira, Colombia. Archivos De Medicina , 26(1). https://doi.org/10.30554/archmed.26.1.5539.2026

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Juliana Aguirre-Acevedo
Odontóloga. Especialista en Periodoncia. Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia UNICOC. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7519-5656 ORCID
Marco Antonio Martínez–Oropeza
Odontólogo. Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia UNICOC. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9393-6286 ORCID
Msc
Nutricionista. Especialista en Epidemiología. Especialista en Administración de Salud. Magíster en Planeación socioeconómica. Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia UNICOC. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7895-2652 ORCID
Yuli Natalia López Rodríguez
Odontóloga. Magíster en odontología. Docente de cátedra. Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia UNICOC. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8282-8500 ORCID
Sandra Elizabeth Aguilera-Rojas
Odontóloga. Especialista en Semiología y Cirugía Oral. Magíster en Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas. Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia UNICOC. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5564-2316 ORCID
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Msc,

Luz Amparo Ruiz García is a research professor at the Institución Universitaria Colegios de Colombia (UNICOC). Her academic and research work focuses on oral health, nutrition, public health, and the social determinants of health, with studies conducted among child populations and indigenous communities such as the Wayuu. She has published several scientific articles and participates in research groups dedicated to quality and educational innovation in the health field.

Email: lagarcia@unicoc.edu.co
ORCID: 0000-0002-9305-1012

Introduction: The Wayuu ethnic group is mainly distributed in La Guajira, Colombia. Multiple factors, including ethnicity, determine head and face shape and related indices. They also affect oral and general health, as well as measures such as weight, height, and head circumference. This study describes oral health, somatic growth, and nutritional status of Wayuu children and adolescents in La Guajira.

Materials and methods: Prospective cross-sectional study with 538 participants aged 2–17 years from Riohacha and Nazareth. Random and systematic errors were calculated; descriptive and Pearson correlation analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0

Results: Average facial index corresponded to euriprosopus and brachyfacial; cranial index was brachycephalic. 44% had at least one tooth with caries, 39% gingival inflammation. 63.6% were underweight for age.

Conclusion: Oral health, somatic, and craniofacial growth were described, exploring correlations of craniofacial growth profiles.

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