Risk Factors for Dental Caries in Children Age 6-12 Year

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine risk factors for tooth decay in the age of 6-12 year old children. The sample was based on surveillance study using clinical data aggregated at primary school level, which collected in the primary school dental screening examinations from 2000-2005 in 1066 children, age 6-12 years old, from primary school in Bangka island, Riau prefecture, Pontianak prefecture, Serpong and Jakarta. METHOD: The examination was conducted by professional dental students who were following the volunteer work activities in those above location. The One-way ANOVA was use to analyzed of mean differences in between age group and score DMF-T, with using software computer SPSS 12.0. RESULT: shows that the high prevalence of dental caries was 24% in age 7 yr, 22% in age 9 yr, 21.8% in age 8 yr, 11.4% in age 10 yr, and 20.8% was belong to pupils age 6,11 and 12 yr. The mean score DMF-T=0 for all subject was 41.8%, the highest mean score DMF-T>3 was 22.5%, and the 35.6% was found for mean score DMF-T=1-2. The highest mean score DMF-T>3 was 22.8% that found in age of 7 yr. When the subject were grouped according to their age and mean score DMF-T, a statistically significant was found in score DMF-T age between 6-12 yr (p<0.002). In addition, the incidence rate of age 7-10 yr was 0.04/children/yr. CONCLUSION: This study found that it ought to be possible that mean score DMF-T of each age group will representative as a mean score DMF-T of individualizing of children, and the addition of dental caries for each children/year is 0.04 as representative as incidence rate that found in this study. SUGGESTION: The implication of this study that could be increase the planning for dental prevention program for school children in Indonesia.