The Frequency of Caries in School Going Children of Peshawar

Objectives: To determine the frequency of dental caries, the gender distribution, the most commonly involved deciduous and permanent tooth in dental caries and to evaluate tooth brushing habits in school going children of Peshawar. Methodology: This descriptive study consisted of 1000 children, aged between 6 to 14 years old. The information was gathered by taking a detailed history and clinical examination of the students and noted in a structured questionnaire. Brief biodata and oral hygiene levels were recorded in descriptive form while the carious teeth were recorded in tabulated form. Data was analyzed using SPSS 10. Results: Out of a 1000 students, 642 (64.2%) had caries. The caries distribution was more in boys (54%) as compared to girls (46%), with male to female ratio 1:0.85. The highest prevalence of caries was found in 12 year old children (77%). Highest numbers of caries were found in first molar in both primary (262) and permanent dentition (188). Thirty eight percent children claimed to have brushed their teeth once daily and 11.5% did not brush their teeth at all. Conclusion: Our study showed that there is a lack of awareness of oral hygiene and its importance has not been emphasized enough to the school going children.