Investigating dental caries rates amongst sentenced prisoners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of dental caries amongst KZN sentenced prisoners. METHODS: The frequency and distribution of dental caries were assessed using the DMFT Index (Decayed, Filled, Missing teeth) in non-invasive dental clinical examinations of a sample of sentenced prisoners (n=373) randomly selected from amongst inmates at nine correctional centres located within the eleven health districts in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The recorded data were analysed using SPSS version 24. RESULTS: The mean DMFT scores were: overall 5.92 (+4.65); 18 to 29 years: 4.14 (+3.49); 30 to 39 years: 6.17 (+4.19); 40 to 49 years: 9.08 (+5.38); older than 50 years: 11.31 (+6.30). A statistically significant relationship was found between DMFT and age (p-value: 0.000). Decayed Teeth were seen in 64.34% of participants, 71.85% recorded Missing teeth while Filled teeth (FT) were noted in only 8.04% of the study sample. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the need to take into account the epidemiological trends in the rates of dental caries when planning oral health services within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Correctional Services.