Prevalence of Dental Caries in School Going Children of Dibrugarh Town, Assam

Abstract

BACKGROUNDDental caries is a major public health concern owing to their higher prevalence and their effects on the individual's quality of life. The problem is dreadful, particularly among school children. Objective-To estimate the prevalence of dental caries among school going children aged 5 -15 years studying in schools of Dibrugarh Town. MATERIALS AND METHODSA cross-sectional study was undertaken amongst the school students aged 5 -15 years enrolled in schools of Dibrugarh town, Assam. Students were checked for presence of dental caries and were interviewed with a predesigned and pretested schedule. RESULTSTotal 351 students participated in the study and the overall prevalence of dental caries was found to be 62.1%. The prevalence of dental caries was significantly higher among students belonging to lower socio-economic group. The prevalence was significantly lower among students who had brushing habits twice a day as compared to those having brushing habit once daily. Students having more than one sibling had higher prevalence as compared to students having no or one sibling. The prevalence of dental caries was significantly lower among students studied in private school. CONCLUSIONIt is concluded that the prevalence of dental caries in the present study is on the higher side. The study highlights the need of awareness among students regarding the advantages of good oral hygienic practises with regular monitoring of children for common dental problems at the school level.