Caries Experience and Severity Among Students with Disabilities in Sokoto, Nigeria

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the caries experience and severity among students with disabilities in Sokoto, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on elementary and high-school students with special needs attending Abdulrasheed Adisa Raji Special School in Sokoto State, Nigeria, who were selected by a systematic random sampling method. The students were between 6 to 28 years, and had hearing, visual, intellectual, or physical disabilities. Data regarding their sociodemographic characteristics were collected using a questionnaire, and their dental caries experience was determined by using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis with a statistical significance set at 0.05. Results: Sixty-nine females (29.2%) and 167 males (70.8%), totaling 236 students, with disabilities participated in this study. The mean DMFT score was 0.72±1.32. Children between 6-12 years had the highest caries experience (mean DMFT=0.92±1.17). Among different disability groups, those with intellectual disability had the highest rate of caries experience (mean DMFT=0.98±1.61). Males had a higher rate of dental caries experience than females (P=0.006). The decayed component (DT) had by far the highest mean score (0.66±1.26) compared to other DMFT components. Conclusion: The caries experience of the study population was low. Nonetheless, the severity of caries was high in those who had caries experience.