Prevalence of dental caries among school children of Moodbidri

Abstract

This survey was carried out among 2902 children aged between 5 and 12 years attending 13 primary schools in various areas of Moodbidri, in Udupi district. The oral health status was assessed using the simplified WHO Oral Health Assessment Form. The caries prevalence was found to be 76.9%. The mean DMFT was 0.78 and the mean deft was 3.48. Although the mean DMFT score between males and females did not show any significant difference, the mean deft was found to be higher among males compared to females. It was also found that the mean DMFT score increased with age whereas the mean deft score decreased with age.