Prevalence of dental caries among elementary school attendees in Iran.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to find out the dental caries status in six to nine years (6-9 years) old children.

MATERIAL & METHODS: A total of 792 children including 396 girls and 396 boys were selected from several schools in Qazvin based on cluster sampling. Name, age, gender, address, and caries status each subject was recorded using a questionnaire. Intra-oral examinations were performed using a mirror and probes under suitable light-rays were not taken to diagnose the caries.

RESULTS

Of a total of 792 children, 396 (50%) were males and the rest (50%) females. The dmft was 3.83, 3.57, 3.04 and 2.8 for aged six, seven, eight and nine respectively. The frequency of caries was higher in age group of six. The DMFT was 0.31 for each child.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that the frequency of caries was found to be higher than reported is unexpectedly high among the age group investigated in our research. According to the high prevalence obtained in our study, health recommendations on oral hygiene to target population and also parents and teachers should be made.