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. 2022 Sep 27;19(19):12269.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912269.

Oral Health in 12- and 15-Year-Old Children in Serbia: A National Pathfinder Study

Tamara Peric  1 , Guglielmo Campus  2 , Evgenija Markovic  3 , Bojan Petrovic  4 , Ivan Soldatovic  5 , Ana Vukovic  1 , Biljana Kilibarda  6 , Jelena Vulovic  1   7 , Jovan Markovic  3 , Dejan Markovic  1
Affiliations

Oral Health in 12- and 15-Year-Old Children in Serbia: A National Pathfinder Study

Tamara Peric et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present the oral health profile of 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Serbia. Basic Methods for Oral Health Surveys of the WHO were implemented to record: Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth/Surfaces Index (DMFT/DMFS), gingival bleeding, enamel fluorosis and other structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesions. In addition, Silness and Löe plaque index and orthodontic status were assessed. A total of 36% of 12-year-olds and 22% of 15-year-olds in Serbia were caries-free. The mean DMFT was 2.32 ± 2.69 for 12-year-olds and 4.09 ± 3.81 for 15-year-olds. DMFT was made up largely by the decayed component. Gingival bleeding was present in 26% of examined 12-year-old and 18% of 15-year-old children. Dental plaque was observed in 63% of both 12- and 15-year-olds. Fluorosis, structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesion were rarely detected. Low prevalence of malocclusions was found. Oral disease is still a common public health problem among schoolchildren in Serbia. A significant increase in the prevalence of caries disease between 12- and 15-year-old groups implies that preventive care for adolescents requires special attention. Corrective actions and reforms to the current school-based oral health prevention program are needed to further improve oral health in Serbian children.

Keywords: Serbia; oral health; schoolchildren.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The distribution of DMFT according to the region in (a) 12-year-olds and (b) 15-year-olds in Serbia. Significant differences in the distribution of D and F components were found between the regions (p < 0.001, Kruskal–Wallis test).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The distribution of DMFT according to the area in (a) 12-year-olds and (b) 15-year-olds in Serbia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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