<p>Dental Caries and Associated Factors Among Patients Attending the University of Gondar Comprehensive Hospital Dental Clinic, North West Ethiopia: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study</p>

Abstract

Purpose: Dental caries are an emerging public health problem in developing countries in the last two decades. However, there is a paucity of data on dental caries in northwest Ethiopia. This study investigated the prevalence of dental caries and associated factors in northwest Ethiopia. Patients and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 368 patients who visited the University of Gondar Comprehensive Hospital Dental Clinic. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the samples. Data were collected by three qualified dental surgeons using a pre-designed questionnaire modified from a WHO oral health survey and the clinical examination was done using the WHO dental caries diagnosis guideline. Data analysis was done using SPSS 20. Descriptive data were presented in tables and logistic regression analysis was done to identify the possible predisposing factors using odds ratios with 95% confidence interval. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in this study was 23.64% (95% CI: 19.30, 28.00) with a significant difference between females (30.56%) and males (17.02%). Being female (AOR=2.15 (95% CI: 1.31, 3.52), poor oral hygiene practice (AOR=2.44 (95% CI: 1.46, 4.07), being diabetic (AOR=8.15 (95% CI: 3.2, 20.75), low educational level (AOR=1.81 (95% CI: 1.05, 3.1), low monthly income (AOR=3.05 (95% CI: 1.54, 6.02) and halitosis (AOR=10.98 (95% CI: 5.68, 2.24) were significantly associated with dental caries. The mean DMFT score was 1.095±0.24 (SD). The majority of the DMFT (70.59%) was due to decay, while filled tooth accounted for only 2.17% of the DMFT. The DMFT score was higher in females (0.625), urban residents (0.85), and those with montly income of ≤2500 Ethiopian birr (0.86). The mean DMFT was 0.13. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries in the study participants was 23.64% andwas higher in males than females and in diabetic patients. Female gender, poor tooth brushing habits, diabetes mellitus, and halitosis were significant predictors associated with dental caries.

Dental caries and associated factors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Many studies revealed that the magnitude of dental caries vary in different countries like Northwest of Spain (36.9%), Nigeria (13.9%), Kenya (50.3%), and Eritrea (78%) respectively [9][10][11][12]. Studies that have been conducted in Ethiopia revealed that dental caries accounts for about 21.1-78.2% [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Although scholars recommended modification of free sugar consumption, cleaning teeth more than two times a day using a fluoride toothpaste (promotion of good oral hygiene), and oral health education, the problem remains high, particularly in developing countries [26,27].…”

Determinants of Dental Health Problems Among Adult Patients at Dental Clinic, Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia: Unmatched Case–Control Study

“…7,25,26 Similarly, a study from the University of Gondar, Debre Tabor, and Addis Ababa indicated the statistical association between tooth cleaning and poor dental hygiene with dental caries. 5,6,10 Moreover, individuals with gastritis had more chance of developing dental health problems. As presented in the multivariable analysis, the risk of developing dental health problems increased by threefold when individuals had gastritis.…”

“…Two-sided confidence level (95%), power (80%), the ratio of controls to cases (1:1), percentage of controls exposed (77.6%), Odds Ratio (OR = 0.42) for teeth brushing practice, and percentage of cases with exposure (59.3%). 5 Thus, 111 cases and 111 controls were taken to make the total sample size 222. Finally, adding 20% of the non-response rate, the total study participants calculated was 267.…”

“…1,3,4 Other important factors could be age, sex, income, educational status, gastric infection, diabetes mellitus, oral health literacy, and tooth cleaning. [5][6][7][8][9][10] In 2020, the promotion of self-care is one of WHO's goals to improve oral health of the populations. These include tooth brushing more than once a day, lesser consumption of sugar-containing snacks, and regular use of fluoride-containing toothpaste.…”

“…1 , 3 , 4 Other important factors could be age, sex, income, educational status, gastric infection, diabetes mellitus, oral health literacy, and tooth cleaning. 5–10 …”