Occurrence of caries in the permanent dentition of 8- to 12-year-old children living in the Lodz urban area

Abstract

Background. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a decline in caries intensity in schoolchildren, although a simultaneously increasing polarization of the disease has been observed. Objectives. The aim of the study was to determine the appearance of caries in the permanent dentition of 8- to 12-year-old children living in Lodz. Material and Methods. A group of 700 children (385 boys and 315 girls) attending randomly selected public primary schools in Lodz were examined. The children were subdivided into 5 age groups, with an annual breakdown (8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-year-olds). An intra-oral examination was conducted to assess dental caries in permanent dentition. Caries diagnosis was based on the WHO recommendation. The prevalence and intensity of caries, as well as the Significant Caries Index (SiC) were calculated based on the obtained data. Results. The prevalence of caries in the permanent dentition of the examined population was 58%. It was the highest (70%) in children aged 10. The mean DMFT for children 8 years of age was 0.9, and increased to 2.4 in 12-yearolds. In all age groups, DMFT mainly consisted of untreated caries. Also the SiC index increased with children’s age (from 2.42 in 8-year-olds to 5.56 in 12-year-olds). Conclusions. The results of the study revealed high SiC values, which indicates the necessity of introducing intensive preventive programs for schoolchildren, especially for the one third with the highest DMFT values, to increase the possibility of achieving the WHO oral health goal for the year 2015 in children aged 12.