Assessment of prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarh (U.T. ), India / Avaliação da prevalência de cárie dental em crianças com idades entre 5 e 12 anos em Chandigarh (U.T. ), Índia

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarhand 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 totalof 1113 subjects were examined from May 2008 to September 2009. Data regarding dental caries experienceusing dmft index for 5-year-old and DMFT index for 12-year-old school children were collected on astructured 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) weremales. Regarding the 5-year-old age group, 48.3% (579) of subjects were affected with dental caries, andin the 12-year-old age group, the amount was 30.52% (534). The prevalence of dental caries was more in5 years age group. Conclusion: In the present study, it was observed that 51.7% of the 5-year-old subjectswere 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, wehave to aim at achieving ‘0’ (zero) DMFT for all school going children.

Objetivos: Avaliar a prevalência de cárie dentária em crianças com idade entre 5 e 12 anos em Chandigarh,e explorar e sugerir programas para a prevenção da cárie dentária nesta população. Materiais e métodos:Vinte de 101 escolas foram selecionadas aleatoriamente para o estudo. Um total de 1.113 indivíduos foramexaminados entre maio de 2008 e setembro de 2009. Os dados referentes à experiência de cárie foram coletadosem um formato estruturado pelo índice cpo-d para 5 anos e índice CPO-D para crianças de 12 de idade.Resultados: Dentre as crianças de 5 anos examinadas, 46.8% (271) eram do gênero feminino e 53.2% (308)eram do gênero masculino. No grupo de 12 anos, 46.6% (249) eram do gênero feminino e 53.4% (285) eramdo gênero masculino. No grupo de 5 anos de idade, 48.3% (579) dos sujeitos foram afetados por cáries; já nogrupo de 12 anos de idade, o percentual foi de 30.52% (534). A prevalência de cárie foi maior no grupo de5 anos. Conclusão: No presente estudo, observou-se que 51.7% das crianças de 5 anos eram livres de cáriee a média de CPO-D foi de 0.53 para o grupo de 12 anos. Desse modo, foi possível concluir que as metas daOMS para saúde bucal para crianças de 5 e 12 anos de idade foram atingidas em Chandigarh. Porém, nacondição de pessoas de saúde pública temos que atingir o objetivo de CPOD “zero” para todas as criançasem idade escolar.

Prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 16 and 17 year-old school-going children in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh.

Background: Many studies have been conducted in India to know the prevalence of malocclusion and the orthodontic treatment needs using dental aesthetic index (DAI), but no study so far has been conducted in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh. Objective: To know the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 16- and 17 year-old school-going children in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 622 (365 boys and 257 girls) school children, aged 16 and 17 years, from February 2009 to May 2009. Type III examination was conducted and the assessment of malocclusion was done according to the DAI. Results: 20.28% of the male and 24.52% of the female students in the sample were affected with malocclusion. The mean DAI scores of the male and female children were 22.26 and 21.79, respectively. Distribution of the four DAI grades was as follows: DAI-I (no abnormality or minor malocclusion) 79.58%, DAI-II (definite malocclusion) 16.39%, DAI-III (severe malocclusion) 3.69%, DAI-IV (very severe/handicapping malocclusion) 0.34%. Conclusion: The present study shows that 20.42% of the children examined had malocclusion which required treatment.

Assessment of oral health status and treatment needs of elders associated with elders' homes of Ambala division, Haryana, India.

Objective: To determine the oral health status and treatment needs of subjects aged 60 years and above. Background: The average life span in most parts of the world continues to increase. In the coming decades, dental practitioners will face the challenge of providing dental care for a growing number of elders who retain more natural teeth. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in 10 elders' homes of Ambala division on subjects 60 years or older. Modified WHO format (1997) was used. All the subjects present in the elders' home on the day of examination were included. One hundred and fifty-two subjects were examined. Results: Around half (47.4 %) of the subjects had no functional teeth. Among the rest of the subjects, 26.9% subjects did not use any oral hygiene measure. 19.1% subjects reported wearing a denture. 36.8% subjects had not visited a dentist ever in their life. 28.7% subjects were suffering from pain. The mean number of decayed teeth per subject was 3.66. Maximum subjects had a Community Periodontal Index score of 2. Conclusion: Education regarding maintenance of oral hygiene and regular dental check up should be stressed for the elders. Dental care, especially prosthetic care, should be focused upon.

A comparative study of two mouthrinses on plaque and gingivitis in school children in the age group of 13-16 years in Bangalore city.

Research and clinical evidence indicate that most forms of plaque associated periodontal disease start as inflammatory lesions of the gingiva which if left untreated, may progress and eventually involve and compromise the entire periodontal attachment apparatus of the affected teeth. A study was conducted to assess the effect of a mouthrinse containing chlorhexidine and sodium fluoride on plaque accumulation and gingivitis in comparison with a chlorhexidine mouthrinse alone in a group of school children aged 13-16 years in Bangalore city. This combination along with the well established effect of fluoride in the prevention of caries presents an important contribution to dental public health. The results suggest that the chlorhexidine-sodium fluoride mouthrinse potentially possesses a significant effect on inhibition of plaque accumulation and gingivitis. This combination along with the well-established effect of fluoride in the prevention of caries, presents an important contribution to dental public health.