INDIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS M
Vol. 46
m
February, 1979
No. 373
J
9
DENTAL CARIES IN SCHOOL GIRLS* H.N.
MATHUR,T.P.
JhI'~ and M.L. J ^ m
Udaip~r With m o d e r n civilization and industrialisation, dental caries is assuming wider dimensions, so much so that it is a serious pub!ic health problem in most of the industrialized countries, and the day is not far off when in India tot,, where dental caries even now forms the bulk of dental diseases, it would be recognised as a public hezlth problem. A rough estimate shows that 2000 million cavities need to be attended to by dentists annually in this country (Anon. 1968). Dental caries is strongly associated with affluence. Isolated primitive populations, such as, the Eskimos in Greenland, the inhabitants of Atlantic islands, and the population of many islands in the Pacific Ocean, are known to have had teeth practically free of dental caries (Ainamo 1976). T o o t h decay begins at at, early age. Dental caries in the primary dentition is known to occur as early as the first year o f life. R a o (1961) reported the prevalence of dental caries in Vellore to be 2 1 . 1 % , Hari Rao et al. (1972) reported the prevalence of dental caries in school children of Delhi as 17.5g/e, while Singh (1977) reported * From the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, R.N.T Medical College, Udaipur, 313 001. Received on April 25, 1978.
that dental caries was more prevalent amongst girls as compared to boys. Dental caries has a multifactorial aetlologv. Various investigations have lald emphasis on the dietary factors (consumption of fermentable carbohydrates as the cause of dental caries ( G r ~ f a n d G r a f 1971, Luoma and Luoma 1968, Stones 1947, Tortola and Luoma 1972)'. Apart from dietary factors, other factors like oral microbial enzymes, physical and chemical composition of the t e e t h , - b a d oral hygiene, protein, calcium and vitamin D deficiency in the diet, and low content of fluorides in drinking water, also have their role in the causation of dental caries. The present study was done on school girls (7-16 years) from schools which attracted girls from different socio-economic strata and has tried to analyse the various socio-cultural factors associated with dental caries. The study was undertaken from December 1975 to February 1976.
Material and Methods The following schools were selected randomly from three different groups of schools. In order to have a sufficient number of subjects, two schools in group II and I I I were selected.
44
I N D I A N J O U R N A L OF P g D I A T R I C S
VOL.
46, No. 373
GROUP
I
Elite class
--
St. Mary's H.S: School, Udaipur.
GROUP
II
Middle and lower class with urban background.
-- Bhopalpura G.M. School, Udaipur. -- Residency G.H. School, Udaipur.
GROUP I I I
Middle and lower class with rural background
Girls Middle School Vallabhnagar. - - Govt. H.S. School, Vallabhnagar (only girls considered)
I n f o r m a t i o n on socio-culturai economic and environmental aspects of the family were obtained from parent~. Each girl was examined for d e c a y e d and filled teeth. Since the cause of fallen teeth could not be ascertained accurately, it was not taken into account. I n all 1011 girls were e x a m i n e d
T a b l e 1.
Group
Observat.lons T a b l e 1 shows the prevalence of dental caries in the group of schools under study. The overall prevalence was found to be 9.19% with group I predominating (16.35%). T h e difference" in the prevalence was found to be highly significant statistically.
PrevaLm.ceof dtttal catie~ in schools with different socio-economic strata.
Dental caries
No dental caries |l
Total
Percentage
wm
I
62
317
379
16.35
II
23
469
492
4.67
III
8
132
140
5.71
Total
93
918
10It
9.19
Xt
-=
37.31;D.F.
=
2,
p
Vol. 46
m
February, 1979
No. 373
J
9
DENTAL CARIES IN SCHOOL GIRLS* H.N.
MATHUR,T.P.
JhI'~ and M.L. J ^ m
Udaip~r With m o d e r n civilization and industrialisation, dental caries is assuming wider dimensions, so much so that it is a serious pub!ic health problem in most of the industrialized countries, and the day is not far off when in India tot,, where dental caries even now forms the bulk of dental diseases, it would be recognised as a public hezlth problem. A rough estimate shows that 2000 million cavities need to be attended to by dentists annually in this country (Anon. 1968). Dental caries is strongly associated with affluence. Isolated primitive populations, such as, the Eskimos in Greenland, the inhabitants of Atlantic islands, and the population of many islands in the Pacific Ocean, are known to have had teeth practically free of dental caries (Ainamo 1976). T o o t h decay begins at at, early age. Dental caries in the primary dentition is known to occur as early as the first year o f life. R a o (1961) reported the prevalence of dental caries in Vellore to be 2 1 . 1 % , Hari Rao et al. (1972) reported the prevalence of dental caries in school children of Delhi as 17.5g/e, while Singh (1977) reported * From the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, R.N.T Medical College, Udaipur, 313 001. Received on April 25, 1978.
that dental caries was more prevalent amongst girls as compared to boys. Dental caries has a multifactorial aetlologv. Various investigations have lald emphasis on the dietary factors (consumption of fermentable carbohydrates as the cause of dental caries ( G r ~ f a n d G r a f 1971, Luoma and Luoma 1968, Stones 1947, Tortola and Luoma 1972)'. Apart from dietary factors, other factors like oral microbial enzymes, physical and chemical composition of the t e e t h , - b a d oral hygiene, protein, calcium and vitamin D deficiency in the diet, and low content of fluorides in drinking water, also have their role in the causation of dental caries. The present study was done on school girls (7-16 years) from schools which attracted girls from different socio-economic strata and has tried to analyse the various socio-cultural factors associated with dental caries. The study was undertaken from December 1975 to February 1976.
Material and Methods The following schools were selected randomly from three different groups of schools. In order to have a sufficient number of subjects, two schools in group II and I I I were selected.
44
I N D I A N J O U R N A L OF P g D I A T R I C S
VOL.
46, No. 373
GROUP
I
Elite class
--
St. Mary's H.S: School, Udaipur.
GROUP
II
Middle and lower class with urban background.
-- Bhopalpura G.M. School, Udaipur. -- Residency G.H. School, Udaipur.
GROUP I I I
Middle and lower class with rural background
Girls Middle School Vallabhnagar. - - Govt. H.S. School, Vallabhnagar (only girls considered)
I n f o r m a t i o n on socio-culturai economic and environmental aspects of the family were obtained from parent~. Each girl was examined for d e c a y e d and filled teeth. Since the cause of fallen teeth could not be ascertained accurately, it was not taken into account. I n all 1011 girls were e x a m i n e d
T a b l e 1.
Group
Observat.lons T a b l e 1 shows the prevalence of dental caries in the group of schools under study. The overall prevalence was found to be 9.19% with group I predominating (16.35%). T h e difference" in the prevalence was found to be highly significant statistically.
PrevaLm.ceof dtttal catie~ in schools with different socio-economic strata.
Dental caries
No dental caries |l
Total
Percentage
wm
I
62
317
379
16.35
II
23
469
492
4.67
III
8
132
140
5.71
Total
93
918
10It
9.19
Xt
-=
37.31;D.F.
=
2,
p
