State of dentition and treatment needs assessment in 3 to 7-year-old children living in Lodz

Abstract

An early detection of caries allows for introduction of minimally invasive treatment and has additional significance in preventing serious caries sequelae such as pulp or periapical inflammation, and even loss of teeth. Screening of oral health should form a part of routine medical care in children. Aim of the study. To evaluate the state of dentition and treatment needs in 3 to 7 year-old children. Materials and methods. The study covered 731 children (388 girls and 34 3boys) living in Lodz, who were subdivided into 5 age groups, with annual breakdown of age: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-year-old children. An intra-oral examination was conducted to asses dental caries in deciduous and permanent dentition. Caries diagnosis was based on the WHO recommendation. Caries prevalence, intensity and treatment index were calculated on the basis of the obtained data. Results. The prevalence of caries in the examined population was 72.2%. It was the lowest in 3-year-old children (43.6%) and the highest (85%) in those aged 7. Caries intensity in deciduous teeth (dmft) for children aged 3 was 1.53 and it increased up to 4.07 in 7 year olds. The average dmft in 3-7 years old was composed mainly of untreated caries, and the treatment index in the examined group was low (0.32). Mean score of the DMFT was 0.07 in 5-year- olds, and increased with age, up to 0.73 in children aged 7. The average treatment index for permanent dentition in this age range was 0.22. Conclusions. The low values of treatment index and the findings that the average dmft in 3-7 year-old children and DMFT in 5-7- year-olds were mainly determined by the presence of untreated caries, indicate that dental care for this group is not well provided. It is necessary to introduce health education programs that promote proper health behaviours and increase parental awareness of the need for deciduous teeth treatment, and for regular assessment of the status of newly erupted permanent teeth.