Oral Health Status of Filipino Children Using The ICDAS

Objectives: In the latest data of National Monitoring and Evaluation for Dental Survey (NMEDS) there are 87.4% of Filipinos suffering from dental caries. It has always been one of the major problems which affect the majority of population in every country, regardless of the gender, race or even age. Proper diagnosis of any ailment plays a vital role in the success of any treatment and with the development in classifying the dental caries, the Philippines is starting to adopt the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of dental caries among Filipino children whose age ranging from 5 – 6 years old using ICDAS.
Methods: A total of 319 students from Malolos, Bulacan were included in the study. The researchers used ICDAS in classifying the dental caries affecting the respondents and ADA Caries Risk Assessment form (0-6 yrs old). The two examiners were calibrated with high reproducibility (Kappa score >0.81)
Results: Most of the respondents have Code 5 (Buccal: Mean (5.06) SD (1.13); Distal: Mean (5.15) SD (1.10); Mesial: Mean (5.16) SD (1.09); Lingual: Mean (5.08) SD (1.11)) and 56.7% of the population belonging to medium risk for caries assessment.
Conclusions: The success of the treatment will rely on successful diagnosis of the examiner; therefore, using new caries classification system may help in proper diagnosis