Prevalence, severity and related factors of dental caries in school going children of vadodara city - an epidemiological study.

Objective: Among dental diseases, dental caries is an important dental public health problem in India which is irreversible in nature, and is predominantly a disease of childhood. Till date no study has been carried out in Vadodara. As baseline data of caries is required to improve oral health of children, the present study was undertaken to determine the pattern of dental caries in school children of Vadodara city in the mixed dentition period considering age, sex and dietary patterns.

Methods: An epidemiological cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among 1600 school children aged 6-12 years in Vadodara city. A closed ended questionnaire according to World Health Organisation 1997 methodology was used to collect the data. The children were examined for the presence of dental caries using decayed missing filled teeth/decayed missing filled surfaces and Decayed Missing Filled Teeth/Decayed Missing Filled Surfaces index. Related factors which predispose caries such as age, sex and dietary patterns were recorded.

Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 69.12%. The mean dmft/dmfs and DMFT/DMFS were 3.00/4.79 and 0.45/0.56 respectively. The prevalence was higher in deciduous teeth than in permanent teeth. Positive association was found between dental caries and age, sex, frequency of sugar consumption in between meals.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the prevalence and severity of dental caries in Vadodara city is high. So, in developing country like India, it is imperative to introduce primary prevention and increased restorative care for the purpose of both reducing the caries prevalence and maintaining those caries free children. How to cite this article: Joshi N, Sujan SG, Joshi K, Parekh H, Dave B. Prevalence, Severity and Related Factors of Dental Caries in School Going Children of Vadodara City - An Epidemiological Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):40-48.