PUFA- an Index to Measure Caries Severity

Rationale: Dental caries is a global public health problem especially in children since it remains mostly untreated. Only limited data is available on the consequences of untreated dental caries. Objective: To present a new index to evaluate the prevalence and severity of oral conditions resulting from untreated dental caries. To validate the index within the Philippines National Oral Health Survey, 2006. Methods: The PUFA index records the presence of severely decayed teeth with visible pulp involvement (P/p), ulceration caused by dislocated tooth fragments (U/u), fistula (F/f) and abscess (A/a). Results: Good kappa values show the reliability of the index. The prevalence of PUFA/pufa >0 was 85% and 56% for 6- and 12-year-olds respectively. The mean number of teeth affected was 3.4 and 1.0 for 6- and 12-year-olds respectively. Conclusion: The PUFA index complements classical caries indices with relevant information for epidemiologists and health care planners.