Dental Caries Experience among 12 Year Old School Children from Macedonia and India

• Main Authors: Ambarkova Vesna (Author), Manu Batra (Author), Marija Stevanovic (Author), Mira Jankulovska (Author), Aasim Farooq Shah (Author), Aasim Ishrat (Author), Mudit Gupta (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Journal of Dental Problems and Solutions - Peertechz Publications, 2015-11-03.
• Subjects: Research Article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

<p>The aim of the present study was to compare the dental caries status of the 12 year old children of the eastern region of Macedonia and Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir state of India.</p><p><strong>Material and Method:</strong> In this comparative study (N=396) 12-year old children from Macedonia and 592 from India were included. Dental status of participants was evaluated using the 2013 World Health Organization caries diagnostic criteria for Decayed, Missing or Filled Teeth (DMFT) by 2 calibrated examiners in Macedonia and by the single examiner in India.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean value of the DMFT index for the whole sample of India was 1.91 ± 1.76 whereas for Macedonia it was 3.46 ± 2.90, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). In the Indian sample, 152 (25.68%) and in Macedonia sample 81 (21.46%) of the individuals were caries free (DMFT=0).In both countries, the female children have higher mean DMFT values. The filled component of DMFT was more among the Macedonian children which shows the higher utilization rates of dental care in that region in comparison to Indian counterparts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The mean DMFT of children from Macedonia was higher in comparison with children from India. The most possible reason for this can be the fact that sugar consumption in India was less in comparison with Macedonia.</p>