Oral health status of 12-year-old Nigerian children

Abstract

Background study: The World Health Organization has set some goals for the oral health of the 12-year olds. This study, which is being carried out in a developing nation, will add to the accumulating data worldwide on this index age group. Study design: One thousand six hundred 12-year-old public and private secondary school pupils were examined in six local government areas of Lagos State. The objective of the study was to assess their oral health status and treatment needs. Results: In this study caries prevalence was found to be 24.6% with a mean DMFT of 0.46. The "D" component formed the greater proportion indicating low dental care in the population. The oral hygiene status (OHIS) of the students was generally fair. The girls had better oral hygiene and lower prevalence of gingivitis and calculus than the boys. The difference was however not significant (p>0.05). The treatment needs of the students revealed that 72.7% required periodontal treatment, 34.6% required restorative treatment and 103% required orthodontic treatment. Conclusion: This study concludes that even though caries level in this age group was low, oral hygiene was fair and the utilization of oral health services was poor.