Caries prevalence in adolescents in Eastern Bosnia: Foca municipality

Abstract

Caries is the most frequent oral disease in all age groups. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine dental status and caries prevalence in adolescents in the Eastern Bosnian region, in Foca municipality Materials and methods: The study comprised 300 pupils of secondary schools, of both sexes and aged between 15 and 18 in Foca municipality. Dental check-up was conducted by a single dentist using daylight, dental mirror and dental probe. Caries prevalence was analyzed using the DMFT index. Results: Results showed that the dominant components of DMFT were filled (51.7%) and decayed teeth (36.8%) while extracted teeth were least frequent (11.8). Initial caries was observed most frequently in upper (48%) and lower (39.7%) molars and least frequently in lower anterior teeth (8.4%). Deep caries lesions were most often found in upper (35,7%) and lower (33.3%) molars and rarely in lower anterior teeth (3.3%). Conclusion: Adolescents in Eastern Bosnia (Foca municipality) have great number of carious and unrestored teeth and, therefore, the implementation of primary dental healthcare system is necessary as well as looking for a solution to this problem.