Caries Prevalence of the 6-year-old Schoolchildren from Rijeka

The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of dental caries in schoolchildren aged 6 years from Rijeka, Croatia.

Method:

The study was carried out between September 2012 and May 2013 on 500 schoolchildren aged 6 years from Rijeka, Croatia. After lectures on oral hygiene and obtaining a written consent form from the parents, a clinical examination was performed by students of final year (5th) using a plane dental mirror and a dental probe. Presence and distribution of dental caries, fillings and missing teeth were recorded in special designed forms. Every child received a free oral hygiene set containing toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste but only the best class with the lowest caries prevalence goes on a trip to the eco-village.

Result:

The caries prevalence was 64% and the mean dft was 3.68 (SD 3.463), while mean DMFT was 0.29 (SD 0.747). The % of caries free children was 22.

Conclusion:

The results of this study showed a high caries prevalence among schoolchildren in Rijeka, Croatia. The % of caries free children was below WHO recommendation for 2020 (90%). Oral health and frequency of dental visits are not satisfactory indicating a need of improvement of preventive public oral health programs and strategy in this population.