Determinants of caries prevalence and severity in higher SES Indian children

Objectives Recent epidemiological studies in the economically developing co untries show that the prevalence and severity of dental caries has increase d with industrialisation and exposure of these populations to western diets . The aim of this study was to quantify the caries experience, and identify determinants associated with caries, in a population which has a higher so cio-economic status (SES), and is the most westernised in India. Basic rese arch design The study site was Goa, a former Portuguese colony, which becam e part of India in 1961. Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 1,189 s eventh grade children in private schools, consisting of a clinical dental e xamination and a self-administered questionnaire to their parents. Main out come measures The study used the cavitated/non-cavitated criteria to score for caries, the TF index for fluorosis, and the Silness and Loe index for p laque. Results The mean age of the children was 12.2 years. The proportion of children caries-free in the permanent dentition was 22.2%. The mean DMFT and DMFS in the study group were 2.78 and 4.20, respectively. The decayed component accounted for over 87% of the DMFT, DMFS, dft, and dfs. Results o f the crude, stratified, and multivariate regression analyses showed that p oor oral hygiene, mother's highest level of education, use of fluoride toot hpaste before the age of six years, and higher frequency of tooth brushing were risk indicators of caries prevalence and severity. Conclusion The find ings suggest that risk indicators of caries in this study population were s imilar to those in developed countries.