K.Sayed Akber Pasha, Manu Rana, Swagat Kumar Mahanta, Mohd. Arif

ABSTRACT

Aim: The aim of this pilot study were to measure the incidence of dental caries in school children aged 12–14years among private schools in birgunj. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in birgunj from 2016 to 2017 via school health camps organised by dental college. A total of 500 children aged 12–14 were randomly selected from schools located in vicinity of birgunj city. Three calibrated examiners using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria to diagnose dental caries performed the clinical examinations. Data analyses were subsequently conducted. Results: The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth index values were respectively 3.34, 3.29, and 2.88 for 12, 13, and 14 year-old subjects. Caries prevalence was 53.4%. The prevalence of caries increased with increasing of age, while the caries index (DMFT) decreased with increasing age. This increasing in prevalence was statistically insignificant. Dental caries were affected by socio-demographic factors; significant differences were detected between female and male children, where more female children showed dental caries than male children. Conclusion:The result of this study is a pointer to the fact that there still exist a large segment of the population who continue to remain ignorant about the detriment effects of poor oral health. Dental caries can be prevented by proper hygienic habits, awareness among students and their mothers.