Caries prevalence in Hungarian police students

Objectives: Oral health is an important and basic requirement for members of the armed forces. The aim of this study was to determine the caries experience (DMFT) of a group of Hungarian Police students, and evaluate associations with nutrition, oral hygiene habits and social factors. Methods: Altogether 792 Hungarian Police student volunteers (9.7 per cent female) (mean age:20.4 ±1.25 years) participated in the study. Caries experience was measured using World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria, and a questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, nutrition and oral hygiene data. Results: Mean DMFT was 10.2±5.8 (mean±SD), with no significant difference with respect to gender. Statistically significant associations were found between increased DMFT and high frequency of drinking carbonated soft drinks, eating sugar-containing foods, frequency of tooth cleaning, use of dental floss or mouthwash during oral hygiene procedures and infrequent dental visits. Mean DT was significantly higher for participants who only attended for compulsory screening (8.7±5.2) compared with those who attend more regularly (5.7±3.9) (p<0.05). Education of fathers was associated wtih mean FT; at higher educational levels, higher numbers of filled teeth were found (p<0.05). Conclusion: Caries experience was high in the police student population in Hungary, Nutrition, oral hygiene habits and some social factors were found to be associated with greater caries experience. Strategies aimed at more effective caries prevention should be established in the police student population in Hungary.