[A computer software system for dental caries rates: databases and statistical analysis]

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Context:

• Dental public health initiatives require efficient data collection and analysis for epidemiological surveys.
• Existing methods for dental caries assessment can be complex and require specialized expertise.
• There is a need for accessible tools to support health services in conducting dental surveys.

Purpose:

• To introduce ICADAPLUS, a novel computer software system designed for dental epidemiological surveys.
• To provide a simplified and error-free method for creating databases, calculating DMF rates, and performing statistical comparisons.
• To enable health services to conduct epidemiological surveys of tooth decay using dental records without requiring specialized computing or dental knowledge.

Summary:

• ICADAPLUS facilitates data entry, processing, and reporting for dental epidemiological surveys.
• The system supports various dental chart types, including DMF and def indices.
• It allows for data organization by age and gender, generating standardized reports.

Impact:

• ICADAPLUS streamlines the process of epidemiological data analysis in dentistry.
• The software's ease of use promotes wider adoption in health services for monitoring tooth decay.
• Validation confirms its reliability, supporting its implementation for improved dental public health surveillance.