Dental caries status and treatment needs of children attending government primary schools in Goa: A descriptive survey of a coastal state in India

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health is an integral part of overall health. Very little information is available on the status of dental caries status of children in Goa state. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the dental caries status and treatment needs of government primary school children in Goa. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among 6–12 years old government primary school children using the WHO survey methodology 1997. Multistage probability cluster sampling technique was adopted to obtain proportional sample from 11 talukas of Goa. Descriptive statistics was calculated, and t-test was used for group comparisons. Results: The overall caries prevalence in primary dentition was 65.52%, with mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) of 5.21 ± 1.81 for North Goa, and 5.28 ± 1.93 for South Goa district. Caries prevalence in the permanent dentition was 56.6% with mean DMFT of 3.89 ± 1.14 for North Goa and 4.12 ± 1.74 for South Goa district. Males aged 9 and 11 years exhibited statistically significant higher caries prevalence in primary dentition than females, while females aged 6 years exhibited higher caries prevalence than male children in permanent dentition but both groups exhibited high proportion of treatment needs. Conclusions: Dental caries was high in Goan children. Dental caries was found to be a significant health issue in child population requiring immediate attention. The provision of oral health education and school-based preventive programs seem to be a viable alternative to tackle overwhelming the burden of dental caries and other oral diseases.