The prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren in Libya

Abstract

Background:  The present study has been performed to determine the dental caries prevalence: Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth and DMFT indexes among 13 - 15 year-old schoolchildren of Maserati in Libya.

Objective: This study tried to assess the prevalence of dental caries and to examine there are statistically significant differences in prevalence of dental caries according to gender and age among 13 - 15-year-old schoolchildren.

Methods: A sample of 400 individuals of both sexes (181 were females and 219 were males) their ages ranged from 12- to 15-year-old.  In the current study 10 schools (5 boys and 5 Girls schools were randomly selected from different areas within the state of Maserati in Libya.

Results:  The results showed that there was statistically significant difference between male and female in Prevalence of Dental Caries. Which indicated female schoolchildren had a higher mean DMFT value 4.303 (± 3.12) than male children 2.93 (±2.94). Furthermore, the results indicated that there was statistically significant difference in (FT) and (DMFT) among age (13-15) years old. Therefore, 15-year-old children showed a significantly higher incidence of dental caries prevalence than 13- and 14-year-old (P < 0.05).  However, the results indicated that there were no significant differences in Decayed and Missing teeth among schoolchildren age (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:  High prevalent dental caries was found among schoolchildren in Libya from age 13 to 15 years especially in females. The reasons for this would mainly be lack of dental awareness, motivation, ignorance, poor oral hygiene, improper tooth brushing techniques, and inadequate exposure to fluorides. Other contributing factors could be improper dietary habits, longer outdoors stay of children at this age leading to greater consumption of in between meals snacks, cariogenic diet, and nutritional deficiencies.