Aim: Our aim was to record oral health situation through mean value of DMFT/dmft, Significant Caries Index (SiC) and CPITN values in a young-population sample in Campania (Italy) and to determine the possible relationship between oral health behaviour, socioeconomic factors and caries experience.
Study design: Observational study.
Methods: 101 children (age range 5-18 years) were randomly selected from 10 public schools of the Regional Campanian district and visited at the Paediatric Dentistry Department of Federico II University of Naples (Italy). Clinical examinations were conducted, under standard light, using a plane buccal mirror, a dental probe and air drying to evaluate caries experience and a WHO CPITN ball-point probe to record the periodontal health of each child. A questionnaire (investigating demographic and oral health behaviour data) was filled. X-ray bitewing were also taken. The comparison of quantitative variables among groups was carried out using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results and statistics: The caries prevalence was 81%; the sample mean values were 3.5 (SD=3.79) for DMFT and 3.8 (SD=3.39) for dmft. The variables influencing statistically DMFT/dmft values in the sample are the following: family socio-economic level, level of educational attainment of children mothers and use of the school canteen service. Most of the examined children show CPITN levels between 0 and 1.
Conclusion: Our results confirm a high caries prevalence and also a need for preventive and educational programmes to obtain caries decrease.