Dental caries experience among kindergarten school going children of, India

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of dental caries in the primary dentition of kindergarten school children of Udaipur city Rajasthan in a cross sectional study design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study population comprised of around 355 children aged 3-6 years old randomly selected from 10 kindergarten schools in Udaipur city from all preselected five zones. Dental caries was recorded using the decayed, missing, filled teeth [dmf-t] index and the decayed, missing, filled surfaces [dmf-s] index according to WHO 1997 standards. RESULTS: Seventy-nine point one five percent are caries free individuals while 20.85% are individuals having caries. The mean dt scores for the age group six is found to be highest with 0.45 (0.86) and least for the age group of four with 0.28 (0.74). Sixty-five point six three percent of the subjects brushed their teeth by themselves while 34.37% do it with the help of their mothers. CONCLUSION: Dental caries prevalence and severity is low among the students.