Azizi Zafer
Pediatric Dentistry Department, Arab American University, Jenin, Palestine.
Int J Dent. 2014;2014:839419. doi: 10.1155/2014/839419. Epub 2014 Sep 23.
Aim. To determine the prevalence of dental caries among a representative sample of preschool children (4-5 years old) who were accompanied by their parents to the dental centre of the Arab American University in Jenin whether they come seeking dental treatment or as visitors with adult patients. Materials and Methods. 1376 children of both sexes were investigated by three calibrated and trained examiners for dental caries using the dmft index according to the WHO method. Results. 76% of the studied children have already experienced dental caries at the age of 4-5 years (1046 children). The mean dmft score was found to be 2.46 while the other 24% of children were caries-free. There was no significant difference in caries prevalence between boys and girls (77.2% versus 74.6%). Children of highly educated and college graduated mothers were found to have more fillings (restored teeth) in comparison to those who belong to mothers who did not finish their secondary (high school) education. Conclusion. The number of caries-free children in northern Palestine is still far from numbers found in developed countries. There is a real need to make improvements at the level of parents dental health education, application of preventive measures, and dietary habits among preschool children.
目的。确定在陪同父母前往杰宁阿拉伯美国大学牙科中心的4至5岁学龄前儿童代表性样本中龋齿的患病率，无论他们是前来寻求牙科治疗还是作为成年患者的陪同访客。材料与方法。由三名经过校准和培训的检查人员，按照世界卫生组织的方法，使用dmft指数对1376名男女儿童进行龋齿调查。结果。76%的被研究儿童在4至5岁时已经患过龋齿（1046名儿童）。发现平均dmft得分为2.46，而另外24%的儿童无龋齿。男孩和女孩的龋齿患病率没有显著差异（77.2%对74.6%）。与母亲未完成中等（高中）教育的儿童相比，受过高等教育和大学毕业的母亲的孩子有更多的补牙（修复牙）。结论。巴勒斯坦北部无龋齿儿童的数量仍远低于发达国家。确实需要在家长牙科健康教育、预防措施的应用以及学龄前儿童的饮食习惯方面做出改进。
