Caries risk among a convenient group of libyan adults

Objectives: Dental caries is an important public health problem worldwide. Caries risk assessment (CRA) is a tool that facilitates recognizing and documenting caries risk predictors as well as identifying appropriate course of treatment. Little is known about caries among Libyan adult population which is partly complicated by difficulties in sampling. Therefore, this study aims to assess caries risk in convenient group of young Libyan adults.
Methods: a CRA form was completed for all dental students who have attended preventive dentistry course during 2012/2013 academic year. The collected information was the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT), visible cavitation, white spots and oral self-care habits such as fluoridated toothpaste, xylitol, more than 3 sugars, deep pits and mouth wash were recorded as yes/no. According to this information, the students were asked to rate their caries risk as high, moderate, and low.
Results: The study showed that 23.3% of the students were caries free and 29% had visible cavitation whereas 26.9% consume more than 3 sugar/day. Deep pits were found in 28% and 33.7%. 96.1% used fluoride toothpaste ,13.3% used mouthwash and 7.9% used xylitol. overall 60.2 %had high caries risk ,19% moderate caries risk and 20.8% low caries risk.
Conclusions: caries risk in the study group appears to be relatively high. Given that the study group are dental student who presumably are equipped with appropriate oral health knowledge and better access to dental care in dental school, caries risk in general population could be even higher. Further research is needed to investigate caries prevalence and its risk factors in general population and to evaluate appropriate interventions to minimize its burden