Assessment of prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarh (U.T.), India

Authors

  • Ramandeep Kaur Sohi
  • Ramandeep Singh Gambhir
  • K. L. Veeresha
  • Amaninder Kaur Randhawa
  • Gurminder Singh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/aor.v8i1.23076

Keywords:

Dental caries, Schoolchildren, 5 years of age, 12 years of age

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarh and to explore and suggest suitable preventive programmes for the prevention of dental caries in this population. Materials and methods: Twenty out of 101 schools were randomly selected for the study. A total of 1113 subjects were examined from May 2008 to September 2009. Data regarding dental caries experience using dmft index for 5-year-old and DMFT index for 12-year-old school children were collected on a structured format. Results: Among the 5-year-old children examined, 46.8% (271) were females and 53.2%(308) were males. Considering the 12-year-old age group, 46.6 % (249) were females and 53.4% (285) were males. Regarding the 5-year-old age group, 48.3% (579) of subjects were affected with dental caries, and in the 12-year-old age group, the amount was 30.52% (534). The prevalence of dental caries was more in 5 years age group. Conclusion: In the present study, it was observed that 51.7% of the 5-year-old subjects were caries free and the mean DMFT was 0.53 at 12 years of age. Hence, it may be concluded that W.H.O. global oral health goals for 5 and 12 year olds are achieved in Chandigarh. Still, as public health people, we have to aim at achieving ‘0’ (zero) DMFT for all school going children.

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Published

2012-11-28

How to Cite

Sohi, R. K., Gambhir, R. S., Veeresha, K. L., Randhawa, A. K., & Singh, G. (2012). Assessment of prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarh (U.T.), India. Archives of Oral Research, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.7213/aor.v8i1.23076

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Articles