Dental Caries Experience in Croatian Schoolchildren in Primorsko-Goranska County: A Pilot Study

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Nataša Ivančić Jokić
• Author: Danko Bakarčić
• Author: Suzana Janković
• Author: Giulia Malatestinić
• Author: Jagoda Dabo
• Author: Martina Majstorović
• Author: Vanja Vuksan
• Author's institution: (Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka)
• Author's institution: (Zagreb University Hispital Center)
• Author's institution: University of Rijeka; (Faculty of Dental Medicine)
• Author's institution: University of Rijeka; Faculty of Medicine
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Dental Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Dental Medicine

Abstract (english)

Background: Dental caries as an infectious disease is still a major oral public health issue. As documented in some recent studies, it has been recognized as the most common chronic childhood disease. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate caries prevalence, DMFT and dmft scores, as opposed to caries free children at the age of 6 years from a well developed western region of Primorsko-Goranska county. The purpose was also to evaluate a Significant Caries Index (SiC) and a Restoration Index (Rl) in the same study sample of 6 year olds. Methods: Data for a sample of 1,825 (868 girls and 957 boys) children was collected and analyzed by using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U Tests. Results: Results showed that the mean dmft was 4.68±4.19, and the mean DMFT was 0.22±0.69. D/d component constituted a major part of caries score (DMFT/dmft) in both primary and permanent dentitions in the population of 6 years old children. Caries prevalence was 74.5 in primary dentition and 11.9 in permanent dentition. Significant Caries Index value (SiC) was 0.66 for permanent and 9.6 for primary teeth, respectively. The Restoration Index (Rl) was 20.1 for primary and 39.5 for permanent dentition. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study revealed that dental caries still appears to be quite a significant problem among 6 year olds. However, collected data, particularly considering the SiC Index, can be used for further planning of preventive and restorative dental treatments as well as setting up future goals for the prevention of dental caries in Croatian school children of Primorsko-Goranska county.

• Keywords (english): Dental caries; DMFT; Epidemiology; Restoration Index; Significant Caries Index
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review - international
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Central European Journal of Public Health
• Numbering: vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 39-42
• p-ISSN: 1210-7778
• e-ISSN: 1803-1048
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.21101/cejph.a3752
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:127:836586
• Publication: 2013
• Document URL: http://cejph.szu.cz/doi/10.21101/cejph.a3752.html
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-10-31 09:38:26