Oral Health Status of 12- and 15-Year-Old Students in Qatar: Findings From the National Oral Health Survey

Abstract

Background The national oral health survey-Qatar was carried out in 2011 in an attempt to establish the baseline information about oral health status among youth. This article describes the oral health status of 12 and 15-year-old students in Qatar. Methods Cross-sectional survey data were analyzed for 12 (N=1060) and 15 (N=1064) year-old students. The caries status based on decayed, missing, filled teeth or DMFT=0 (no caries) & DMFT≥1 (caries present). Mean indices among nationalities and sex were compared by student’s t-test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare means by the type of the school. Logistic regression was used to examine associations among available variables. Results In the overall sample, 53.3% (n=565) of 12-year-olds and 55.4% (n=589) of 15-year-olds had varying levels of dental caries. The odds of dental caries were higher among girls compared to boys aged 12 years (OR=1.3, CI=1.0-1.6, P=0.05) as well as 15 years old (OR=1.28, CI=1.01-1.6, P=0.04) respectively. By nationality, Qatari students had a higher mean DMFT value (1.3 ± 1.2) compared to non-Qataris (0.82 ± 1.1). The public/independent attendees had higher mean DMFT values (1.31 ± 1.2) compared to the other two school categories. Fifteen-year-old students had lower odds (OR=0.81, CI- 0.68-0.97, P=0.02) of gingival bleeding and higher odds (OR=1.68, CI=1.4-2.1, P<0.001) of calculus compared to 12-year-olds. Dental fluorosis was found among 15% of 12 years old and 16.6% of 15 years old. The odds of fluorosis were higher among 15 years old but this relationship was not significant (OR=1.1, CI=0.88-1.4, P=0.36). Lower odds of bleeding teeth (OR=0.81, CI=0.68-0.97, P=0.02) and higher odds of calculus were found among 15 years old (OR=1.68, CI=1.4-2.1, P<0.001) compared to 12 years. Conclusions The results provide directions to further strengthen the oral health strategies through various evidence-based interventions.Background