Prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis among corporation school-going children in Chennai city – A population-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aims: The aim was to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis among corporation school-going children and their treatment needs in Chennai city. Subjects and Methods: The present descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 3–19-year-old corporation school-going children of Chennai city. It was conducted for a period of 2 months from August 20, 2018, to October 20, 2018. A sample size of 20,007 children (9707 males and 10,300 females) was examined. Oral health status with emphasis on dental caries, gingivitis, and treatment needs was recorded. Statistical Analysis Used: The obtained data was analysed using SPSS 21.0 (IBM, USA). Results: The prevalence of dental caries in the participants examined was 34.72% (6946). About 1663 (23.94%) participants had dental caries involving single tooth, 293 (4.22%) had dental caries involving two teeth, and 4 (0.06%) had dental caries involving >2 teeth. Clinical pulpal involvement with pain on percussion was found in 4067 (58.55%) participants. Nine hundred and nineteen (13.23%) participants exhibited grossly decayed tooth advised for extraction. The prevalence of gingivitis in the participants examined was 8259 (41.28%). About 2672 (32.35%) participants had mild gingival inflammation, 5563 (67.36%) had moderate gingival inflammation, and 24 (0.29%) had severe gingival inflammation based on Loe and Silness gingival index scoring. On the basis of treatment needs, 59.5% of the participants were in need of treatment. Almost 34.3% of the screened participants were in need of primary care, whereas 25.1% of the screened participants were in need of advanced care. Conclusions: The present study reveals the current oral health status of corporation school-going children in Chennai corporation. The results obtained demand a special attention toward these children of less effluent families for the promotion of oral health by regular conduct of treatment camps by corporation and other agencies.