Experience and Prevalence of Dental Caries in 6 to 12-Year-Old School Children in an Agricultural Community: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To describe the experience and prevalence of dental caries in schoolchildren aged 6–12 years belonging to agricultural manual worker households. Material and Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in two groups of schoolchildren: One considered “children of agricultural worker migrant parents” (n = 157) and the other “children of agricultural worker non-migrant parents” (n = 164). Epidemiological indices for dental caries were calculated for primary (dmft) and permanent (DMFT) dentitions, and compared in terms of age, sex, and the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (SOHI). Two binary logistic regression models for caries prevalence in primary and permanent dentitions were generated in Stata. Results: For primary dentition, we observed the following dmft index: Non-migrants = 1.73 ± 2.18 vs. migrants = 1.68 ± 2.14. Additionally, we recorded the following caries prevalence: Non-migrants = 59.1% vs. migrants = 51.3%. For permanent dentition, we observed the following DMFT index: Non-migrants = 0.32 ± 0.81 vs. migrants = 0.29 ± 0.95. Further, we recorded the following caries prevalence: Non-migrants = 17.6% vs. migrants = 12.8%. No differences were observed for either dentition (p > 0.05) in caries indices and their components or in caries prevalence. When both caries indices (dmft and DMFT) were combined, the non-migrant group had a higher level of caries experience than the migrant group (p < 0.05). No relationship (p > 0.05) with migrant status was observed in either multivariate models of caries prevalence. However, age did exhibit an association (p < 0.05) with caries. Only the plaque component of SOHI was associated (p < 0.05) with caries in permanent dentition. Conclusions: Although over half of school children from agricultural manual worker households had caries in either or both dentitions and a considerable proportion were untreated lesions, the prevalence levels were somewhat lower than other reports from Mexico in similar age groups. No statistically significant differences were found in caries experience or prevalence in either dentition between non-migrant and migrant groups.

School children’s oral health status, behaviours, and dental care utilization: the case of a northern Thailand elementary school

“…The noted prevalence of dental caries among the children studied herein corroborates other studies from Thailand 9 and internationally; 10,11 although, its cross-sectional design does not allow us to make any inferences about whether the prevalence is decreasing locally, as seen globally. 12,13 However, the findings of our study seem to be a bit higher for DMFT and a bit lower for dmft in comparison to other studies.…”

Self-Reported Dental Caries by Mexican Elementary and Middle-School Schoolchildren in the Context of Socioeconomic Indicators: A National Ecological Study

“…While in Latin America there is only a small number of countries that report dental health status with nationally representative samples [2], dental caries is the most prevalent oral disease [3]. In Mexico, the situation is similar, with low utilization of preventive dental services and high prevalence of caries and treatment needs in children and adolescents [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. In general, about half of individuals between 6 and 12 years of age present caries lesions in any tooth of either primary or permanent dentition [4,10], with consequences in terms of pain, suffering, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life.…”

“…In Mexico, the situation is similar, with low utilization of preventive dental services and high prevalence of caries and treatment needs in children and adolescents [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. In general, about half of individuals between 6 and 12 years of age present caries lesions in any tooth of either primary or permanent dentition [4,10], with consequences in terms of pain, suffering, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. Access to oral care is limited in many developing countries; teeth are often left untreated or extracted [3,4,6,[11][12][13][14][15].…”

Dental Caries and Oral Health in Children—Special Issue

“…For example, a study from Mexico demonstrated that over half of 6-12-year-old school children from agricultural manual worker households had caries in either or both dentitions, and a considerable proportion were untreated lesions. However, the authors noted that the prevalence levels in their study were lower than other reports from Mexico in similar age groups [5]. Another paper from Mexico quantified the association between self-reported dental caries and socioeconomic indicators in a national sample of Mexican children.…”