Original Article

Year : 2022 | Volume : 10 | Issue : 2 | Page : 79-84

Prevalence of dental caries among primary school children in Poonamallee, Chennai

Shilpa A 1* , Mahalakshmi.K 2 1*Private Dental Practitioner, Teynampet, Chennai-600018

2 Post Graduate Student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai – 600077

Address for Correspondence:

Shilpa A,

Private Dental Practitioner, Teynampet, Chennai-600018

Email-Id: ajaishilpa@gmail.com

Abstract

Background: The two most prevalent oral diseases are dental caries and periodontal disease. Humans of all ages suffer from dental caries, but schoolchildren represent the highest priority risk group. The aim of the current study was to utilize the dft/DMFT (DMFT : Decayed missing filled teeth, dft : decayed filled teeth) index to assess the prevalence of dental caries among primary school-aged children in Poonamallee, Chennai.

Methodology:

Before the study, examiners underwent a series of clinical training to calibrate them. After gathering demographic data which included name, gender, age and socioeconomic class, a clinical examination for dental caries was conducted and the results were documented on a pro forma.

Results:

The study's findings suggest that caries prevalence was more in females than males and also primary dentition had higher prevalence of caries.

Conclusion:

The research shows that dental caries is still a major public health problem even in urbanized areas such as Poonamallee, Chennai. Keywords : primary dentition, dental caries, school children

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest

How to cite: Shilpa A & Mahalakshmi.K. Prevalence of dental caries among primary school children in Poonamallee, Chennai. Int J Comm Dent 2022; 10(2): 79- 84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56501/intjcommunitydent.v10i2.636