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

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.