Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish a method for evaluating the oral health status of school children. The subjects in this study were 1st grade elementary school children (6-7 years of age) whose permanent teeth were caries-free. Oral examinations (WHO criteria) were conducted and salivary mutans streptococci (MS) levels were assessed in 293 students. Based on the initial number of sound deciduous teeth and MS levels, their oral health status was classified into three groups: good health: 3 or 4 sound lower deciduous molars, moderate health: 0-2 sound lower deciduous molars and MS level Class 0, poor health: 0-2 sound lower deciduous molars and MS level Class 1 or more. The change in the rate of caries-free students from the 1st to 6th grades was examined based on each health level. In the good health group, 82.1% of students did not have caries in the 6th grade. However, in the poor health group, more than 10% of students developed new dental caries every year, and the proportion of caries-free students was 47.1% in the 6th grade. Moreover, in the moderate health group, the number of caries-free students decreased between the 1st and 2nd or 3rd and 5th grades, and the proportion of caries-free students was 67.6% in the 6th grade. Based on the above results, it is possible to classify the oral health status by the number of sound deciduous molars and the salivary MS level in 1st grade elementary school children.
