A cross-sectional study on the level of severity of dental caries in adults
Introduction: Oral diseases affect some 3.9 billion people worldwide, the most prevalent are dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Untreated dental caries lesions affect 35% of the population. Objective: To determine the level of severity of dental caries lesions in adults treated at public...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidad de Concepción.
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Oral Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://joralres.com/index.php/JOralRes/article/view/joralres.2021.032/943 |
| Summary: | Introduction: Oral diseases affect some 3.9 billion people worldwide, the most prevalent are dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Untreated dental caries lesions affect 35% of the population. Objective: To determine the level of severity of dental caries lesions in adults treated at public dental services in the cities of Asunción and Pirayú, Paraguay, in 2017. Material and Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical variables of oral health status were evaluated by means of a cross-sectional study using consecutive sampling. Two dentists were calibrated to perform the oral examination. Caries experience was evaluated using the DMF-T index. The Chi square test and Fisher's exact test were applied, with a confidence level of 95%. Results: 333 subjects with a mean age of 35 years participated in the study, 77.2% were females, and 64.0% did not have access to private health care services. The DMF-T index was 11.43 (SD=6.7); 12.6% obtained a very low level, 35.7% low level, 41.7% had a medium level, and 9.9% had a high level in the DMF-T index. The DMF-T index was significantly higher in females (p=0.001), in the age range of 50 to 59 years (p<0.001), in those who did not have access to private health services (p=0.008), in those who reported a negative self-evaluation of their oral health (p=0.04), in those with a normal molar ratio (p=0.023) and a very severe aesthetic index (p<0.001). Conclusion: The general level of severity of global caries was medium and associated with sociodemographic and clinical variables. |
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| ISSN: | 0719-2460 0719-2479 |