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Dental needs assessment survey: three Florida counties.
Today'S FDA : Official Monthly Journal of the Florida Dental Association
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Small-scale dental surveys in Florida counties revealed lower mean decayed, missing, or filled surfaces (DMFS) than national data. This suggests localized surveys are reliable for dental needs assessment.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Dental Epidemiology
- Community Dentistry
Background:
- Dental needs assessments are crucial for public health planning.
- Previous national surveys provide benchmarks for caries prevalence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess dental caries prevalence in three Florida counties.
- To compare local survey data with national caries prevalence data.
- To evaluate the reliability of small-scale surveys for dental needs assessment.
Main Methods:
- Dental needs assessment surveys conducted in Lee, Pasco, and St. Lucie counties (1987-1989).
- Visual tactile examinations using Radlike criteria for DMFS index and WHO Treatment Needs Index.
- Comparison of local data with national caries prevalence surveys (1979-80, 1986-87) for Region IV.
Main Results:
- Combined data from the three counties showed lower mean DMFS levels for all age groups, except seven-year-olds, compared to the 1986-87 national survey.
- Observed differences in mean DMFS ranged from -0.20 surfaces (8-year-olds) to -0.57 surfaces (13-year-olds).
- No statistically significant differences were found when comparing local survey results to national data.
Conclusions:
- Small-scale dental needs assessment surveys can provide reliable data.
- Localized surveys are a viable method for understanding community dental health status.
- Findings support the use of targeted surveys for effective public health interventions.