Caries incidence in a cohort of primary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria followed up over a 3 years period
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Date
2012
Authors
Folayan, MO
Sofola, OO
Oginni, AB
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry
Abstract
Aim: To describe the progression of dental caries in the
pupils who had access to an education intervention programme
over a three years period. STUDY DESIGN: This
was a prospective cohort study. METHODS: This was a
school-based based study consisting of 251 children aged
2-10 years old attending three primary schools in Lagos
State, Nigeria. Baseline and exit dental examinations
were conducted. Study exit examination was conducted
3 years after the baseline. The deft and DMFT index was
used to assess caries severity. The key outcome measure
recorded in the study was the development of a new
cavities in any of the previously caries-free teeth. The
presence or absence of caries was represented by the
change in deft and or DMFT status. STATISTICS: In the
analyses, the incidence of new cavities was recorded at
both the person and tooth levels. Incidence rates for the
development of new caries were calculated for all children
who: • were caries-free at recruitment • had caries
at recruitment • were caries-free at recruitment but developed
caries during follow up. Relative risk (RR) analysis
was also computed for caries-risk estimation. RESULTS:
The caries incidence for the study cohort was 9.9%.
About 11.0% of children who were caries free at inception
of the study developed caries three years after. The
cumulative incidence of caries for the cohort of children
who were caries free at the commencement of the study
was 105 new cases per 1000 persons. Of the 40 children
who had caries at the inception of the study, 21 (52.5%)
developed new caries lesion. The cumulative incidence
of caries for the cohort of children who had caries at the
commencement of the study was 525 new cases per
1000 persons. The relative risk of developing caries over
a three years period was significantly higher (RR=4.99;
95% CI = 2.88 - 8.64; p< 0.001) in those who had caries
at baseline than those who were caries-free at baseline.
Caries severity remained stable over the 3 years period.
CONCLUSIONS: Caries incidence and severity was low
for the study cohort. The relative risk of developing new
caries lesion was significantly higher in those with caries
when compared with those without caries.
Description
Keywords
caries, school children, incidence