IADR Abstract Archives
Dental caries experience in South African adults: findings from the Bellville South Study
Objectives: Caries is a ubiquitous, frequently occurring, non-communicable disease worldwide. There is a paucity of current literature on adult caries in South Africa, with the last adult epidemiological caries study conducted in 1988/9. The objective of the present study was to report DMFT scores in relation to socio-demographic characteristics for a South African population of mixed ancestry in the Bellville South region located in Cape Town, South Africa.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of a larger epidemiological project, the Bellville South Study, performed according to guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). Each participant signed an informed consent form to participate in the study. During a clinical examination, decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT score) were recorded for each subject. The results are presented as means and standard deviations; one-way ANOVA and T-tests were conducted to explore the impact of age and gender on DMFT.
Results: A total of 1892 subjects were included and the average DMFT was 21.1; 68% had a high DMFT (> 13.9). There was a statistically significant difference (at 5% level) in DMFT scores for the age categories (p< 0.0001); males presented lower DMFT than females (18.7 ± 11.2 and 21.9 ± 11.2 respectively (p< 0.0001). The prevalence of missing teeth was extremely high, with 83% of the DMFT scores being attributed to this component. As compared to previous data, DMFT scores improved (24.6 and 21.1, respectively). The average number of teeth was higher for males (15.6 ± 12.5) as compared to females (11.7 ± 12.6, p< 0.0001).
Conclusions: Although data from the present study suggests an improvement in caries experience in South Africa in the last 20 years, caries burden is still high in this population, especially females, highlighting the need for better oral health care policies in the public sector.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of a larger epidemiological project, the Bellville South Study, performed according to guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). Each participant signed an informed consent form to participate in the study. During a clinical examination, decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT score) were recorded for each subject. The results are presented as means and standard deviations; one-way ANOVA and T-tests were conducted to explore the impact of age and gender on DMFT.
Results: A total of 1892 subjects were included and the average DMFT was 21.1; 68% had a high DMFT (> 13.9). There was a statistically significant difference (at 5% level) in DMFT scores for the age categories (p< 0.0001); males presented lower DMFT than females (18.7 ± 11.2 and 21.9 ± 11.2 respectively (p< 0.0001). The prevalence of missing teeth was extremely high, with 83% of the DMFT scores being attributed to this component. As compared to previous data, DMFT scores improved (24.6 and 21.1, respectively). The average number of teeth was higher for males (15.6 ± 12.5) as compared to females (11.7 ± 12.6, p< 0.0001).
Conclusions: Although data from the present study suggests an improvement in caries experience in South Africa in the last 20 years, caries burden is still high in this population, especially females, highlighting the need for better oral health care policies in the public sector.