Abstract
To investigate the prevalence of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries and its relation to dental fear among public schoolchildren in India. A cross-sectional study of 1,452 schoolchildren aged 12-15-years in Bangalore city using a three-stage stratified random sample was conducted. Caries was scored by WHO (World Health Organisation) criteria (1997) and clinical consequences of untreated dental caries using the PUFA index. Dental fear was assessed by a single item dental fear questionnaire. The overall prevalence of caries was 57.9% and of untreated dental caries was 19.4%. Children with high dental fear had 2.05 times the risk of untreated caries as compared to children with low fear. This study showed that the prevalence of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries was low, and dental fear was shown to be a significant determinant of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries.
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