Trends in dental caries in Indian children for the past 25 years

The economic liberalization which was started 25 years back in India has led to a rising gross domestic product and per capita income and a decline in poverty. There has been an improvement in various health status indicators in the Indian population. As oral health is an integral part of general health, a retrospective study was designed to assess the effect of economic liberalization on dental caries experience in Indian children. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to find studies done on dental caries prevalence in children in India from the year 1992–2016. Mesh and free text terms “child,” “dental caries,” and “India” were searched in databases – PubMed and PubMed Central. A total of 1468 titles were screened, out of which 191 articles were shortlisted for further inspection. Finally, 69 studies were found suitable for final analysis. Results: The pooled caries prevalence was between 50.84% and 62.41% at 5-year interval. There was a decline in caries prevalence in 2–5 and 11–15 years of age group. The overall weighed mean of 2.4, 2.7, and 1.9 was observed in three different age groups. Significant caries index (SiC) of more than 3 was observed in all the age groups. Conclusion: The present review suggests that more than half of Indian children have been affected by dental caries. High SIC index score suggests a skewed distribution of caries among Indian children. This data may aid in planning further exploratory research and oral health care services for children by the stakeholders.

Índice c. e. o. d de niños en situación de discapacidad y su relación con hábitos de higiene y frecuencia de controles odontológicos en Instituto Teletón Santiago-Chile / DMFT index in children with disabilities and its associationwith hygiene habits and frequency of dental controls in Instituto Teletón, Santiago

Introduction: The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry considers that people with disabilities have a higher risk of developing oral diseases. Objectives: To establish the prevalence of caries in 4 and 5 year-old children with disabilities attending Instituto Teletón in Santiago, and determine the association with oral hygiene habits and frequency of visits to the Baby Clinic (preventive program from the first year of life). Patients and Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with 101, 4 and 5 year-old children with disabilities and active dental treatment in Instituto Teletón in Santiago. The presence of caries was assessed between October and December 2015, according to WHO criteria. Data obtained were recorded in a patient assessment form. Legal tutors completed a survey on hygiene habits and the clinical record was reviewed to account for the visits made to the Baby Clinic. Results: Prevalence of caries was 27.7 percent with an average DMFT index of 2.71 (CI 95 percent:1.89-3.74). A significant association was established between this index, and age and attendance to the Baby Clinic (p < 0.05), but not with hygiene habits (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The DMFT index obtained is similar to that of healthy patients of the same age in other studies at national level. Age and attendance to dental controls in the Baby Clinic are determining factors of caries in children with disabilities.

Introducción: La Academia Americana de Odontología Pediátrica considera que las personas en situación de discapacidad tienen un riesgo mayor de desarrollar enfermedades bucodentales. Objetivos: Determinar la prevalencia de caries en niños de 4 y 5 años en situación de discapacidad atendidos en Instituto Teletón Santiago, y establecer asociación con hábitos de higiene y frecuencia de visitas a la Clínica del bebé (Programa preventivo desde el primer año de vida). Pacientes y Método: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, transversal, con 101 pacientes de 4 y 5 años de edad, en situación de discapacidad y tratamiento odontológico activo en Instituto Teletón Santiago. Se evaluó presencia de caries entre los meses de octubre y diciembre 2015 según los criterios de la OMS. Los datos obtenidos se registraron en un formulario de evaluación de pacientes. El tutor legal completó una encuesta de hábitos de higiene y se revisó la ficha clínica para determinar visitas a la Clínica del bebé. Resultados: Se obtuvo una prevalencia de caries del 27,7 por ciento con un índice c.e.o.d. promedio de 2,71 (IC 95 por ciento:1,89-3,74). Se estableció una relación significativa entre éste y edad y asistencia a la Clínica del bebé (p < 0,05), pero no para hábitos de higiene (p > 0,05). Conclusiones: El c.e.o.d obtenido es similar a pacientes sanos de la misma edad de otros estudios nacionales. La edad y la asistencia a controles dentales en la Clínica del bebé son factores determinantes para la caries dental de niños en situación de discapacidad.

Dental caries experience in high risk soft drinks factory workers of South India: A comparative study.

Background: The consumption of soft-drinks has been associated with dental caries development. Objective: The aim was to evaluate dental caries experience amongst the workers working in soft-drink industries located in South India and compare it with other factory workers. To evaluate the validity of specific caries index (SCI), which is newer index for caries diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 420 workers (210 in soft-drinks factory and 210 in other factories), in the age group of 20-45 years of Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Index used for clinical examination was decayed, missing, filled surfaces (DMFS) index and SCI. Results: The mean and standard deviation (SD) of decayed surface (5.8 ± 1.8), missing surface (4.3 ± 2) and filled surface (1.94 ± 1.95) and total DMFS score (12.11 ± 3.8) in soft-drinks factory workers were found to be significantly higher than the other factory workers. The total SCI score (mean and SD) was found to be significantly higher in soft-drinks factory workers (5.83 ± 1.80) compared with other factory workers (4.56 ± 1.45). There was a high correlation obtained between SCI score and DMFS score. The regression equation given by DMFS = 1.178 + 1.866 (SCI scores). Conclusion: The caries experience was higher in workers working in soft-drinks factory and this study also showed that specific caries index can be used as a valid index for assessing dental caries experience.

The characteristics of high caries risk group for 12-years children in Korea / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of the high caries risk group among 12-year-old children in Korea. METHODS: Information on oral health status and interview data were collected from 6,253 children (3,309 male and 2,944 female children) aged 12 years who participated in the Korea National Oral Health Survey in 2010. The subjects were sorted according to the decayed missing filled tooth (DMFT) data. The highest one-third was selected as the significant caries (SiC) group (N=2,184), and the others were classified as the middle group (N=4,466) and the caries-free group (N=7,067). This study also used demographic variables such as gender and area of residence. The variables for the oral health behavior were the number of dental sealants on the first molar, self-perceived oral health, average frequency of tooth brushing per day, and the mean frequency of daily snack consumption. The variables for the oral health status were the mean number of DMFTs and the SiC index. The associations between the high caries risk group and the demographic and social variables, oral health status, and oral health-related consciousness and behavior were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A significant proportion of the high caries risk group participants had no dental sealant on the first molar (46.4%) and lived in rural areas (38.1%, P<0.05). The determinants of the high-risk group were whether the first molar was sealed ('0', OR=52.67) and the self-perceived oral health ('fair', OR=1.43, 'poor', OR=2.09). CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of the high caries risk group among 12-year-old Korean children were the absence of dental sealant on the first molar, poor self-perceived oral health, gender, and region.

Comprehensive review of caries assessment systems developed over the last decade

Introduction:World Health Organization (WHO) in the year 2007 recognized the growing burden of oral diseases worldwide and emphasized the need to scale up action based on comprehensive data collection systems. In view of the global epidemic of untreated caries in children there is an urgent need to establish a scoring system that both assesses and quantifies various advanced stages of caries. Furthermore, the available data are not readily comparable due to the different scoring systems used. The DMF index despite having limitations has been widely utilized in oral epidemiological surveys. It is recommended by the WHO for measuring and comparing the experience of dental caries in populations. The path of future research in caries epidemiology will depend on finding an ideal caries index. Objective:This review is prepared to present and critically evaluate various new caries assessment systems that have been developed in the last decade. Literature review: A literature search was done to find out major caries assessment systems developed over last decade, it revealed there were five new indices developed to assess caries. These indices were critically evaluated to list their strengths and limitations. Conclusion:There are many promising new caries indices purposed, but still there is a need for further studies to evaluate their validity and reliability before they can replace DMFT index.

Caries dental y necesidades de tratamiento en los escolares de 12 años de las instituciones oficiales del municipio de Rionegro (Antioquia, Colombia), 2010 / Dental caries and treatment needs in 12-year-old schoolchildren from public institutions of the municipality of Rionegro (Antioquia, Colombia), 2010

Introducción: el análisis de la situación de caries dental en la población de 12 años permite comprobar el cumplimiento de las metas relacionadas con el componente bucal de la salud. El objetivo de este estudio es describir la experiencia y prevalencia de cariesdental y las necesidades de tratamiento en una muestra de escolares de doce años del municipio de Rionegro. Métodos: estudio descriptivotransversal en 808 escolares de 12 años de instituciones educativas públicas del municipio de Rionegro. Se aplicaron criterios del índice de dientes cariados, obturados y perdidos tradicionales y modificados (COPDT-COPDM), y el índice de caries significativo (SiC), y se describieron según sexo, escolaridad, zona de residencia y afiliación a la seguridad social. Resultados: el COPDT en la población fue de 1,70 (± 1,63) y el COPDM de 2,19 (± 1,92). La prevalencia de caries en lesiones cavitacionales fue del 59,9% y para todas las lesiones fue de 70,8%. La experiencia de caries para el COPDT fue del 69,9 y del 77,8% para el COPDM. El SiC tomado a partir del COPDT fue de3,60 y de 4,42 a partir del COPDM. Se presentaron diferencias significativas en la experiencia, prevalencia y necesidades de tratamientoprincipalmente de acuerdo con el sexo y el grado de escolaridad. Conclusión: aunque los indicadores muestran el cumplimiento de las metas propuestas por la OMS y según estudios nacionales, se encuentran algunas situaciones de desigualdad que deben ser tenidas en cuenta para la planificación de estrategias de promoción, prevención y atención para esta población.

Introduction: analyzing dental caries conditions of 12-year-old population allows verifying how much of the oralhealth related goals have been achieved. The objective of this study was to describe the experience and prevalence of dental caries andtreatment needs of 12-year-old school children in the municipality of Rionegro. Methods: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study on 808 schoolchildren aged 12 years from public schools of the municipality of Rionegro. Both traditional (T) and modified (M) decayed, missing and filled teeth indexes (DMFTT and DMFTM) were used, as well as the Significant Caries Index (SiC). The obtained data wereanalyzed according to gender, education level, place of residence, and health insurance status. Results: the DMFTT value among the studied population was 1.70 (± 1.63) and the DMFTM was 2.19 (± 1.92). The prevalence of cavitated caries lesions was 59.9%, and for all the lesions it was 70.8%. Caries experience for the DMFTT was 69.9%, and 77.8% in the case of DMFTM. The SiC measured according to the DMFTT was 3.60, and 4.42 for DMFTM. Significant differences were observed in terms of experience, prevalence andtreatment needs, especially in relation to gender and school grade. Conclusions: these values indicate accomplishment of the goals set by the WHO and by Colombian standards. Nevertheless, they also reveal some inequalities that must be considered when planning promotion, prevention and attention programs aimed at this population.