Publication

Abstract : Introduction: Dental caries is widely prevalent globally but the distribution and severity of dental caries varies across countries and regions. In the absence of surveillance or real time monitoring of dental caries in India, there exist a need to assess the prevalence in the country for planning and implementation of oral health programs. Aim: To assess the combined prevalence and mean DMFT of dental caries in India among the WHO index age groups (5, 12, 15, 35-44 and 65-74 years). Materials and Methods: Epidemiological/point prevalence studies conducted (among index age groups) in various parts of India from January 2000 to April 2016 were retrieved from Pubmed central database using ‘Dental caries’ AND ‘India’ as MeSH terms and information from the only National Oral Health Survey and Fluoride Mapping (2002-2003) in India were used. The combined mean deft/DMFT and pooled prevalence of the dental caries was assessed region wise for each age group. Results: The mean deft/DMFT was 2.36, 1.95, 3.31 and 7.01 among 5, 12, 15 and 65-74 years respectively. The SiC index shows steady increase from 3.36 to 8.11 across the groups. The mean prevalence of dental caries is almost similar at 5 years and 12 years at 49% while it shows steady increase from 15 years (60%) to 35-44 years (78%) and peaks at 65-74 year group (84%). In the Eastern and Western regions of India, the 15 year old had higher caries prevalence and mean DMFT compared to the 12-year-old. Across India, the 60-74-year-old had the highest DMFT of 7.01. In North and South India, 65-74-year-old had the highest caries prevalence of 84% and 85% respectively. Conclusion: Irrespective of age groups, the prevalence of dental caries was found to be high and varied across India. This data could help health policy makers to tailor region specific oral health interventions. © 2018, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved.