Dental caries prevalence and treatment need among racial/ethnic minority schoolchildren

A study was undertaken to estimate dental caries prevalence and treatment need among racial/ethnic minority schoolchildren in the Bronx. Oral examinations were conducted on 148 second graders, 193 fourth graders and 299 sixth graders in three different schools. A single examiner trained to use the DMFS index according to National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) diagnostic criteria and procedures examined all the children between November 1999 and July 2000. The study revealed that 39% of the children exhibited dental caries experience in their permanent dentition (mean DMFS = 1.45), treatment need (D/DMFS = 28%); 26.4% of children in their primary dentition (mean dfs = 1.01) and treatment need (d/dfs = 18%). Hispanic children (mean DMFS = 1.71) had higher dental caries experience compared to African-Americans (mean DMFS = 1.14). This was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.004). Treatment need in Hispanics was (30%, 17%) and in African-Americans (30%, 18%) in permanent and primary dentition respectively. Treatment need was highest among sixth grade African-Americans in their permanent dentition and in second grade Hispanics in the primary dentition. The study showed a difference in dental caries prevalence, but the treatment need percentages did not differ between Hispanics and African-Americans in both dentition.