Caries prevalence and severity for 12-year-old children in Latvia
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Date
2021-06-01
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Abstract
Objectives: To study caries prevalence/severity in 12-year-old children in Latvia and potential risk indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional oral-health national survey of 12-year-old children was conducted in 2016. A nationally representative stratified-cluster probabilistic sample of 2,138 pupils in 92 schools was selected. Children were examined by seven calibrated examiners (kappa inter-examiner, intra-examiner scores of 0.71–0.77, 0.81–0.97, respectively) at school. Enamel-non-cavitated decay (D1), enamel cavitation (D3), dentine cavitation (D5), missing (M) or filled (F) status at the tooth (T)/surface (S) levels were evaluated, and decayed, missing, and filled (DMF) index scores for severity, along with the Significant Caries Index (SiC), were calculated. An associated caries factor questionnaire was completed by participants. Results: The prevalence of caries was 98.5% for D1MFT, 79.7% for D3MFT, and 71.9% for D5MFT. The means (standard deviations) for severity were 9.2 (5.3) for D1MFT, 3.3 (3.0) for D3MFT, and 2.4 (2.4) for D5MFT, and 5.6 (2.1) for the SiC. Indicators associated with a lower risk of caries (D5MFT) were irregular dental visits (prevalence odds ratio POR = 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36, 0.56) and irregular use of mouthwashes (POR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.89). Conclusions: We found a high caries prevalence and severity in 12 year-old children in Latvia. Although the WHO target for 2010 (D5MFT ≤ 3) is met, the values for caries prevalence (D5MFT > 0 = 71.9%) and severity (D5MFT = 2.5) in 12-year-old Latvian children are higher than the European averages (D5MFT > 0 = 52%, D5MFT = 1.1).
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Funding Information: We wish to thank the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia for their kind support and cooperation. Also, we are grateful to all the schools involved, their principals and teachers, as well as the sixth‐grade pupils of the 2015/2016 study year and their parents for their support and participation in this study. Funding Information: This research was funded by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of Latvia, procurement No. SPKC2015/26, contract No. P/2015‐89. Publisher Copyright: © 2021
Keywords
Caries prevalence, epidemiology, Latvia, oral health, 3.2 Clinical medicine, 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database, General Dentistry
Citation
Maldupa, I, Sopule, A, Uribe, S E, Brinkmane, A & Senakola, E 2021, 'Caries prevalence and severity for 12-year-old children in Latvia', International Dental Journal, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 214-223. https://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12627