Comparison of Oral Health Status of Students Attending Three Different Education Systems in Pakistan

Abstract

Background and Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of dental caries through the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index ​​of students belonging to the three different education systems of Pakistan in order to ascertain the baseline statistics for the Pakistani student population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the year 2018 to record DMFT scores of students studying in madrassas, government and private schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A total of 663 students underwent a DMFT evaluation by trained dentists following the consent of their parents. The results were analyzed by using one way ANOVA and post-hoc tests for comparing DMFT scores among the students of different school system using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 and a P-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Madrassa group of students had the best DMFT scores; mean DMFT of 1.2 ± 1.9 whereas private school students had a mean DMFT of 2.17 ± 2.9 and Government school children had a mean DMFT score of 2.09 ± 2.08. While comparing the DMFT scores of madrassa students with government and private school students, statistically significant results were observed. Conclusion: Although an acceptable DMFT score was obtained for each of the three education systems; madrassa, government and private schools; the DMFT scores were the lowest for the madrassa students indicating best dental health in them.