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Dental caries experience among Albanian pre-school children: a national survey
D Hysi1, E Caglar2, E Droboniku1
1Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine of Tirana, Albania.
Objective:
To determine the dental caries experience and treatment needs among 5-year-olds in Albania.
Research Design:
This cross sectional study was conducted in 2015 by using a cluster sampling technique. The dmft was used to assess dental caries experience and caries prevalence as percentages of children with dmf⟩0. Caries treatment needs were assessed with dt/dmft x 100, missing teeth with mt/dmft x 100 and ft /dmft x 100 as the Care Index.
Participants:
2,039 five-year-olds, from 17 districts of Albania were selected . Children's residency was divided into 3 main regions (South, West, Central and North).
Method:
WHO 2013 diagnostic criteria were used and dental caries was recorded at cavity level d3.
Results::
The mean age was 5.4 (SD 0.5) years. The caries prevalence (dmf⟩0) was 84.1%. The prevalence of children without cavitated lesions (d=0) was 20.1%. The mean dmft index was 4.41 (SD 3.83). The caries treatment needs were 84% (SD 26%).
Conclusions:
The Albanian 5-year-olds assessed in this survey had a high dental caries experience and untreated cavities in the primary dentition. The national health authorities should introduce preventive programs and improved dental care access for this age group.
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