Abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence and socio-behavioural risk factors for dental caries among children at selected LGAs in Lagos State. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive study of 592 school children in four Local Government Areas of Lagos, Nigeria. The presence of caries was recorded using the World Health Organization criteria. Descriptive statistics were reported for analysis of comparative DMFT and SiC scores in relation to age, gender, and other socio-demographic variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the differential impact of the variables on the probability of being in the high caries prevalence group . Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 16.0% with mean dmft for age 6 being 1.3 ± 1.57 while the mean DMFT for age 12 was 0.15 ± 0.67. The mean Sic for age 6 was 1.5 ± 0.53 while the mean SiC for age 12 was 1.09 ± 0.29. The mean SiC values was significantly higher in the primary and permanent dentition among those who had never visited the dentist, female students, those who don’t use fluoridated toothpaste and those who eat sweets and candy several times a day. After logistic regression analysis, those with no previous dental visit (OR=3.05; CI: 1.72-4.67) and females (OR=1.55; CI: 1.16-1.62) still had significantly higher SiC Values . Conclusion: The prevalence of caries was low in the study population. Being female, non-use of fluoride-containing toothpaste and not visiting the dentist were significant predictors of dental caries among children attending private schools.
Highlights
Dental caries is one of the commonest dental conditions affecting children [1]
In Nigeria, prevalence of dental caries among school children varies from 13.9% to 35.5% [10,11,12]
We aimed to identify the risk indicators associated with dental caries
Summary
Dental caries is one of the commonest dental conditions affecting children [1]. The aetiological factors of dental caries include refined sugar, plaque, tooth and the time of exposure [2]. Other associated risk indicators include socioeconomic status, brushing technique and frequency, use of fluoride containing toothpaste, perceived dental need, access to dental care, snacking habits and oral hygiene status [3,4,5]. When dental caries is left untreated, it can affect the wellbeing of the child, negatively impact on oral related quality of life, as well as the productivity, development and educational performance [7]. In Nigeria, prevalence of dental caries among school children varies from 13.9% to 35.5% [10,11,12]. Most of these carious lesions remain untreated indicating that utilization of dental services is low in the country [13]. Traditional dental care remains a significant economic burden for many countries, where 5-10% of public health expenditure relates to oral health
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