Prevalence of dental diseases in 5- to 14-year-old school children in rural areas of the Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Epidemiological studies are helpful in planning and implementing oral health programs in a given population. This initiative is a consequence of the absence of any information on any study being conducted in the past on the prevalence of dental diseases in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The aims were to (1) assess the prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, and malocclusion in the school-going children of rural areas of district Barabanki and (2) evaluate the pattern of above-mentioned diseases in different age groups and genders. A total of 836 school-going children comprising 430 boys and 406 girls were examined. A total of 238 children were in the age group of 5-7 years. A total of 277 and 321 children were in the age groups of 8-10 and 11-14 years, respectively. A chi-square test was used for deriving results. The prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, and malocclusion was 78.35%, 33.37%, and 34.09%, respectively. The difference between age groups for the prevalence of gingivitis was highly significant, and was more among girls as compared to boys. A significant increase in the prevalence of malocclusion was observed with age. No significant difference was found among genders for the prevalence of malocclusion. An increase in the prevalence of fluorosis was highly significant with age. The difference in fluorosis was insignificant between boys and girls.