Caries risk assessment on special needs children in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of dental caries in Indonesia is considerably high and there is no significant improvement about that condition. Intensive care related with caries needs to be caried out, especially for special needs children. Those children have limited or even no ability to take care of their oral health and it will increase caries prevalence among them. The aim of this study is to investigate caries risk among special needs children in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study which conducted on 101 pairs special needs children and their parents in Gianyar regency of Bali, Indonesia. The data was collected through questionnaire interview while intraoral assessment was done through direct intra oral examination of the special needs children. The questionnaire was an adaptation of CAMBRA Caries Risk Assessment and had gone through a validity test using Pearson Product Moment Test and a reliability test using Cronbach Alpha Test. Results: The result shows that 72.3% children are in high-risk category, 10.9% children are in extreme risk category, 8,9% children are in moderate risk category, and only 7.9% children are in low-risk category. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that the caries risk among special needs children in Gianyar regency of Bali, Indonesia is considerably high.