Dental caries among children and adolescents in Syktyvkar, Komi Republic

Objective — to study the prevalence and experience of dental caries in 12-year-old children and 15-year-old adolescents in Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. Material and methods. The study included 134 children and 146 adolescents. Dental examination was conducted according to the WHO methodology (2013). Caries experience was assessed using the DMFT index and its components. Caries prevalence was presented as proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Comparisons of proportions were conducted using Pearson’s chi-squared tests or Fisher’s exact tests. DMFT index and its components was analyzed using Mann—Whitney tests. Results and discussion. The prevalence of caries was 79.1% (95% CI: 71.5—85.1) and 91.8% (95% CI: 86.2—95.2) among 12-year-old children and 15-year-old adolescents, respectively, with no gender differences. The corresponding mean values for the DMFT index were 3.38 (95% CI: 2.90—3.86) and 5.74 (95% CI: 5.04—6.44). No gender differences in the number of decayed, filled, and missing teeth were observed in the 12-year-olds. Among adolescents, the DMFT index was significantly greater in girls (p=0.005) due to more filled teeth (p=0.002). Conclusions. The high prevalence of caries among adolescents and the average level among children warrant improvement in preventive measures.