Dental caries experience among 8-9-year-old school children in a South Indian City: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Dental caries is the most common dental disease and knowledge of a population′s epidemiological situation is vital for planning and providing prevention and treatment services. There is minimal data available in the literature with regard to the prevalence of dental caries in mixed dentition. Aim: The aim was to assess dental caries experience in 8-9 years old children in Davanagere, Karnataka. Materials and Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study of 8-9 years old children in government and private schools was conducted. Total of 800 school children (both males and females) were randomly selected for the study. Dental caries status was recorded by means of deft for primary dentition and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) for permanent dentition. The statistical tests used were t-test and Chi-square test. Results: Caries experience among the subjects for permanent teeth was 13.8% and for primary teeth was 60.1%. Mean deft and DMFT score were 2.77 and 0.26, respectively. Conclusion: Dental caries status for the sample of Indian children aged 8-9 years of Davangere city showed a declining trend