Abstract
To investigate oral health status in the residents of Sichuan Province, southwest China, a cross-sectional study was performed using the latest Oral Health Survey Basic Methods recommended by the World Health Organization. A multistage stratified random cluster-sampling method was used to enroll participants from the following three groups: children aged 3–5 years, adolescents aged 12 years, and people aged 65–74 years. In these three groups, the mean numbers of teeth that were affected by caries were 3.28, 0.86 and 5.13, respectively, resulting in a prevalence of 63.47%, 37.20% and 83.20%, respectively. Relative to the high rate of decayed teeth, the prevalence of fillings was very low in all age groups (0.97%, 7.24% and 5.43%, respectively). In the 12-year-old adolescent group, only 3.61% had good pit and fissure sealing. In addition, the rate of dental fluorosis was 24.80%, and the Community Fluorosis Index value was 0.39. In the elder group, the community periodontal index was 2.92. The prevalence in the elderly of having lost at least one tooth was 75.54%. Additionally, 4.44% of these participants were edentulous. The incidence of dental prosthesis was 51.75%, the proportion with a removable partial denture, a fixed denture, full dentures, dental implants and an informal fixed bridge was 21.59%, 11.45%, 4.64%, 0 and 16.67%, respectively. In this study, 8.2% of the elderly participants were affected by different types of oral mucosal lesions. Among such lesions, recurrent aphthous ulcers were most prevalent (2.69%) and oral lichen planuses were second (1.6%). The conclusion presented in this survey is that oral diseases, especially dental caries and periodontal disease, are frequent and common in Sichuan province, China. Moreover, the treatment rate is very low, and primary prevention and treatment options are therefore urgently needed in this population.
Highlights
Oral disease is one of the most prevalent chronic disease and an alarming public health problem worldwide.[1,2] Recently, a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis reported that oral disease has already become a determining factor for quality of life and a global burden on social and economic health.[3,4] The oral health survey is the main means of obtaining oral health information that can be used to provide evidence for public health policies.[5]
The mean DMFT observed in this study (0.86) was lower than that reported in previous studies that have included data obtained in the western Pacific region[20,21]
The WHO has established Oral Health Goals for the year 2020. While these goals include a no-caries rate o50% in individuals aged 5 years,[22] the rate observed in this study was 63.47%, and the mean DMFT was 3.28
Summary
Oral disease is one of the most prevalent chronic disease and an alarming public health problem worldwide.[1,2] Recently, a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis reported that oral disease has already become a determining factor for quality of life and a global burden on social and economic health.[3,4] The oral health survey is the main means of obtaining oral health information that can be used to provide evidence for public health policies.[5] Since 1971, more than 130 regions have used the methods and criteria that are recommended for inclusion in the revised Oral Health Surveys—Basic Methods. The methods and criteria described in the fifth edition of Oral Health Surveys—Basic Methods, which was updated in 2013, are aimed at recording the prevalence of conditions and procedures, including dental caries, periodontal status, dental fluorosis, oral mucosal disease, dentures and dental trauma.[5]
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