A Pilot Study on Dental Caries Prevalence Among Damascus School Students and Its Correlation with Oral Health Knowledge of Their Parents

Abstract

Background & Aim: Dental cariesis one of infected dental diseases. They are caused by demineralization tooth structure. According to WHO It was reported that the children are the most affected by this disease and correlation with type of social life.

The present Cross-sectional and survey study was to evaluate the prevalence of dentalcaries among school children (13-16 years old) in Damascus, and to find out the association of Oral Health Knowledge of Their Parents.

Methodology: Sectionalstudy was conducted in schools of Damascus. Atotal of406 Students aged 13-16 years were checked for presence of dentalcaries using DMFT, and asked about the hygienic habit. Also, evaluated education level and oral health knowledge of their parents with the help of predesigned questionnaire. Data wereanalyzed using SPSS.

Results: 406 students contributed in the present study the generallyprevalence of dental caries was found to be 85.7%. DMFT was 3.3005. The education level of fathers affected on DMFT significantly, while the education level of mothers didn’t affect on it. Also, the prevalence was not affected between students belonging tofamily having different income significantly.

Conclusion: Dental caries would be prevented by appropriate hygienicways. Dental awareness among students and their parents should beprompted for prevention of this condition. Early diagnosis and prompttreatment can prevent further damage and can save the teeth. Dental anddietary habits are likely to increase this prevalence; hence the need forcontinuous monitoring, preventive and restorative programs.