Comparison of dental caries experience in children of different socio economic status

Abstract

In this study, an attempt has been made to discover any differences in caries incidence at various socioeconomic levels, and all contributory factors. Two schools were chosen to participate, one affluent (School B) and the other from a relatively lower socioeconomic level (School A). 60 students were randomly selected from each school. The following results were enumerated from the study: Socio economic status was seen to be of similar proportions in the populations studied ‐ 40% skilled in School A, 53.3% in B; 43.3% semiskilled in A, 46.7% in B. However only School A had an unskilled group ‐ 16.7%. Caries incidence was 63.3% in School A and 70% in School B. The pattern in both schools was also similar when the caries incidence was examined from the different socioeconomic levels. The skilled groups had 42.1% and 47.6% of the caries experience in Schools A and B respectively, whilst the semiskilled groups made up 42.1% (A) and 52.3% (B). Unskilled group in School A had 15.8% of the sample's caries. The s...