Introduction: Dental caries is considered the most prevalent chronic disease in the world, which affect individual from all ages. Host acceptability, cryogenic bacteria, fermentable carbohydrates and time are the four elements that are essential for the caries to start. dmft index is a measurement used to determine the degree of caries in any given population, in which it could help in setting aims and strategies to reduce and prevent this disease.
Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the caries prevalence and the value of the dmft index of 3 to 5 year old children of Dubai private schools and its association with demographic factors as age and gender.
Methods and Materials: The study was a cross-sectional survey, which examined 3 to 5 year old children, for the presence of caries in their primary dentition. The survey was conducted by three calibrated dentist, who examined the children in the participating schools, in a school class setting using natural light and dental mirrors. Caries were recorded for each primary tooth, following WHO 1987 criteria. dmft and Significant Caries (SiC) Indices were calculated by age, gender and country of origin. Statistical analysis of the data obtained using parametric tests (t-test and ANOVA), to determine the presence of statistical significant differences.
Results: Two thousand nine hundred fifty-seven children were included in the study. 1527 males and 1430 females, in the male group 134 children were in the 3 year age group, while 630 and 763 children were in the four and five year old age group. The females group consisted of 139 children at 3 year of age, 575 in the four year age group and lastly 716 in the 5 year old age group. Caries prevalence was found to be 25.6%, 36.8% and 42.2% for the three age groups respectively. Dmft value was found to be 0.90, 1.50 and 1.72 for the 3, 4 and 5 year old age groups, with a dmft value of 1.55 for the total surveyed sample.
Conclusion: Caries prevalence in three, four and five year old children was 25.6%, 36.8% and 42.2%, respectively. Mean dmft score was 1.55 for the total sample, with a breakdown for each group to be: three year old group 0.90, four year old group 1.50 and five year old group 1.72. The SiC was found to be 2.07, 4.45 and 5.06; for the three age groups while the SiC of the total sample found to be 4.55. Comparison between the age groups showed that the caries prevalence and the SiC index increased as the age increased. The last national survey in 2001 had higher dmft for the 5 year old children in the state of Dubai.
