Background: Dental caries remains a public health problem even though it is preventable. There are several risk factors that relate to dental caries, especially in children in suburban and rural areas, where they normally receive their first dental examination in primary schools by teachers or health care personnel. Their oral health depends primarily on their parents' awareness.
Objective: To identify prevalence and severity of dental caries and their risk factors among children in public education centers in Phranakornsriayudhya, Thailand.
Material and method: A cross-sectional total study was conducted among children attending public education centers in Koh-Rean Subdistrict, Phranakornsriayudhya District, Phranakornsriayudhya Province, Thailand including a day care center, 2 kindergartens and 2 elementary schools, during the academic year of 2005. All children were invited to attend a dental health survey including general oral examination and a face to face interview for the participants' parents as well as children attending grade 1-6. Standardized questionnaires were used to identify the participants' oral health care behaviors.
Results: There were 157 (99.4%) from 158 children aged 2-12 years participated in the survey, 152 (96.8%) students had dental caries. The prevalence of dental caries among pre-school children was 95.4%. The overall average Decay Missing Filling for primary teeth (dmft) was 7.4 (+/- 4.6) and the overall average Decay Missing Filling for permanent teeth (DMFT) was 3.7 (+/- 1.8). The dmft among pre-school children was 9.1 (+/- 5.2). The prevalence of gingivitis was 95.5%. The independence risk factors for dental caries for primary teeth were brushing under supervision of teacher when compared with the parents (Odds ratio = 12.1 (95% CI, 2.6-55.4)), and not brushing after breakfast (Odds ratio = 3.7 (95% CI, 1.1-12.1). There were no significant risk factors of dental caries for permanent teeth.
Conclusion: A relatively high prevalence of dental caries was observed among children in suburban area in Thailand, especially in early childhood. It was shown that having the parents supervising their tooth brushing and having tooth brushing after breakfast may protect the dental caries for primary teeth. The public health interventions among this population are therefore urgently needed.