article · International Journal of Dentistry
Dental caries is a major preventable oral health problem that significantly affects the quality of life of children. A cross-sectional study examined 422 primary school pupils in Alem Ketema, North Showa, Ethiopia, using clinical oral examinations and structured questionnaires. The findings revealed an overall dental caries prevalence of 46.9 percent, with an average decayed, missing, and filled teeth index of 1.28. Several key factors were significantly associated with the presence of tooth decay. Male pupils were more likely to have caries than female pupils. Behavioural and educational determinants also played an important role, with higher risks linked to poor mouth washing habits, lack of parental insistence on oral hygiene, and the absence of school-based oral health education. Children with a history of dental aches also faced elevated risks, highlighting an urgent need for targeted oral hygiene awareness programmes.
Dental caries remains one of the most common chronic diseases among children, yet it is largely preventable. High rates of decay can cause persistent pain, impact schooling, and reduce a child's quality of life. Identifying key local drivers, such as inadequate mouth washing and missing health instruction, shows schools and communities precisely where practical hygiene education and parental involvement can deliver the most effective oral health protection.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or commercialisation potential for this epidemiological survey.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Background. Dental caries (decay or cavities) is a breakdown of teeth as a result of bacteria. Dental caries is one of the preventable oral health problems and the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Poor dental and oral health affect the quality of children’s life. Objectives. To estimate the prevalence of dental caries and its associated factors among primary school children in Alem Ketema, North Showa, Ethiopia. Methodology. An institution-based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 primary school children, from February 9 to March 8, 2020. Pretested structured questionnaire and oral examinations were conducted by using the WHO criteria (DMFT) index to collect the data. The data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1 software, and analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23 and variables with <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <a:mi>P</a:mi> </a:math> value ≤0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic analysis were considered as a cut-point to declare statistical significance. Result. The prevalence of dental caries was 46.9% (95% CI: 42.1, 51.7). The mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index was 1.28 (±1.21). Being male (AOR = 1.975, 95% CI = 1.067–3.66), lack of parents’ insistence (AOR = 2.052, 95% CI = 1.079–3.902), lack of oral health education program (AOR = 4.753, 95% CI = 1.69–13.38), history of dental aches (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.55–5.32), and poor habit of mouth wash (AOR = 4.74, 95% CI = 2.55–8.79) were found significantly associated with dental caries. Conclusion. The prevalence of dental caries was higher and a common public health problem among school children. Lack of parent’s insistence, sex, dental ache history, poor practices of mouth wash, and lack of oral health education were significant predictors of dental caries. Therefore, oral health education program and parents encouraging their children to practice oral hygiene are important to prevent dental caries.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1155/2021/6637196
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
