Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 14;22(1):181.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-022-02217-y.

Dental caries according to CAST among Zambian adolescents; pattern, socio-demographic and behavioral correlates

Severine N Anthony  1 , Hawa S Mbawalla  2 , Febronia K Kahabuka  3 , Seter Siziya  4
Affiliations

Dental caries according to CAST among Zambian adolescents; pattern, socio-demographic and behavioral correlates

Severine N Anthony et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Dental Caries affect more than half of children and adolescents globally and more so in Africa. Most caries studies in Africa are based on DMFT index which does not assess early carious lesions making early prevention and minimal invasive treatment impossible. This study therefore aimed at determining pattern, socio-demographic and behavioral correlates of dental caries according to Caries Assessment and Treatment Spectrum (CAST).

Methods: Cross-sectional study involving secondary school adolescents in Copperbelt province, Zambia. Socio-demographics and oral health related behaviors were assessed using a structured questionnaire while dental caries was assessed using CAST. Data were summarized as frequency distributions while cross-tabulation with Chi-squire test and adjusted multinomial logistic regression assessed strength and direction of relationship between socio-demographics, oral health behaviors and dental caries. Level of statistical significance was set at 5%.

Results: A total of 1,794 participants were enrolled 54% being females. Total frequency of adolescents with healthy teeth (CAST0-2) was 51.1%, pre-morbidity stages (CAST 3-4) was 24.7%, severe morbidity CAST (6-7) was 6.4% and mortality was 2.7%. The odds of being found with teeth at pre-morbidity stage decreased among male OR (95%CI) = 0.55 (0.44, 0.70) and younger participants OR (95%CI) = 0.77 (0.61, 0.98). Participants in high socio-economic status had lower odds of morbidity OR (95%CI) = 0.69 (0.52, 0.92) while those taking sugary foods five times or more per day had higher odds of morbidity OR (95%CI = 1.52 (1.01, 2.34). The odds of being found at mortality clinical stage of caries was lower among males OR (95% CI) = 0.53 (0.29, 0.96) and those who did not attend to a dentist in the previous year OR (95%CI) = 0.42 (0.23, 0.75), while higher odds OR (95%CI = 2.01 (1.02, 3.97) were among the high socio-economic status.

Conclusions: The proportion of participants with teeth at pre-morbidity and morbidity were high. Socio-demographics and behavioral predictors of dental caries were sex, socio-economic status, frequency of sugary food intake per day and dental visit in the previous year.

Keywords: Adolescents; CAST; Dental caries; Oral health related behaviors; Socio-demographics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Frequency distribution of study participants’ maximum CAST scores
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Frequency distribution of study participants’ caries severity
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The Pattern of Dental caries by tooth type among adolescents
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Dye BA. The global burden of oral disease: research and public health significance. J Dent Res. 2017;96:361–3. doi: 10.1177/0022034517693567. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kazeminia M, Abdi A, Shohaimi S, Jalali R, Vaisi-Raygani A, Salari N, et al. Dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children’s worldwide, 1995 to 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Vol. 16, Head and Face Med. BioMed Central Ltd; 2020;16:22 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simushi N, Nyerembe S, Sasi R, Siziya S. Dental Caries on Permanent Dentition In Primary School Children—Ndola, Zambia, Health Press, 2018, Available from: http://znphi.co.zm/thehealthpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dental.pdf
    1. Teshome A, Muche A, Girma B. Prevalence of dental caries and associated factors in East Africa, 2000–2020: systematic review and meta-analysis. Front in Pub Health. Frontiers Media S.A, 2021: 9 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abid A, Maatouk F, Berrezouga L, Azodo C, Uti O, El-Shamy H, et al. Prevalence and severity of oral diseases in the Africa and middle east region. Adv in Dent Res. 2015;27:10–7. doi: 10.1177/0022034515582062. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types