National pathfinder survey of dental caries prevalence and treatment needs in The Gambia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess dental caries status and treatment needs in The Gambia for the purpose of national planning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1,235 subjects were obtained with a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. Clinical examinations were carried out using the criteria suggested in WHO Basic Methods (WHO 1987). The WHO J2 software programme was used for data analysis. RESULTS: More than half of the subjects had caries. Mean DMFT increased from 1.7 in the 7-year-old group to 8.8 in 65-99-year-olds. Mean DT peaked at 5.1 in the 30-34-year-old group before declining to 3.2 among the 65-99-year-olds. Mean filled teeth (FT) was zero in all ages. Missing teeth (MT) increased from 0.1 in 13-year-olds to 5.6 among the 65-99-year group. Mean DMFT was 2.3, 2.8, and 6.6 in 12-year-olds, 15-year-olds and 35-44-year-olds respectively. Unmet treatment need (DT/DMFT) was 90-100% in subjects below 25 years. Need for dental extraction increased from 15% to 63% in 65-99-year-olds. Between 0.3 and 2.8 teeth required extraction, and 46-79% of subjects needed conservative treatment. Dental auxiliaries should be trained to carry out extractions and fillings using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART).

National pathfinder survey of periodontal status and treatment needs in The Gambia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the pathfinder survey was to assess the periodontal status and treatment needs in The Gambia. METHODS: A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 1,235 (or 0.1% of the national population). The study was conducted according to the World Health Organisation's criteria (WHO, 1987). The WHO J2 software programme was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Not more than 12% of subjects in any age group had healthy periodontal tissues. Two to three sextants were healthy among those under the age of 35 years. Shallow (4-5 mm) pockets were present in all ages. However, less than one sextant was involved among subjects younger than 25 years. Despite the high prevalence of pockets, few sextants were edentulous. The majority of subjects needed oral hygiene instructions and oral prophylaxis. Of the subjects between the ages of 8 and 29 years, 5-28% needed complex treatment in only half of a sextant. Similarly, 38% and 80% of older subjects needed complex treatment in 0.8-1.9 sextants. CONCLUSION: A national oral health plan in The Gambia should focus on health education and provision of oral prophylaxis by trained auxiliary health care workers. In conclusion, there is a need to develop a functional district oral health services system in The Gambia.