ISSN 2756-3421
African Journal of Dentistry ISSN 2756-3421 Vol. 10 (1), pp. 001-004, January, 2022. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Prevalence of untreated dental caries among the preschool children of Western Maharashtra
Patil Snehal1*, shivakumar KM1, Siddhi Hathiwala2, Samuel Raj Srinivasan3 and Sachin Khatri4
1Department of Public Health Dentistry, School of Dental Sciences, KIMSDU, Karad, Maharashtra, India. 2Department of Public Health Dentistry, Guru Gobind Singh College of Dental Sciences and Research, Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, India.
3Department of Public Health Dentistry, Thaimoongambika Dental College, Chenai, Tamil Nadu, India.
4Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Accepted 15 November, 2021
Abstract
Optimum oral health is required to eat, socialize without discomfort or embarrassment. Untreated dental caries is a common problem faced by the population in developing countries affecting the development of the child. A cross sectional study was conducted among 3 to 5 years old preschool children to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and consequences of untreated dental caries. Dental caries was measured using ‘dmf’ and ‘pufa’ index. Descriptive statistics was computed to assess the prevalence of the untreated dental caries. Chi square test and z test were used to assess the statistical difference among the variable means in between the groups. Data was analyzed using SPSS ver 20.0. The prevalence of dental caries in the study population was 32% and that of the untreated dental caries with clinical consequences was 24%. There was no statistically significant difference between the genders for prevalence of untreated dental caries. The mean ‘dmf’ and ‘pufa’ scores increased over the ages of 3, 4 and 5 years in the study sample. ‘pufa’ index can be used as a useful epidemiological tool to assess the prevalence of untreated dental caries. Proportion of untreated dental caries was substantial which points to the need for diverting attention to care of deciduous dentition.
Key words: Untreated dental caries, ‘pufa’, preschool children.