Pattern of Dental Caries among Adults in Purvanchal Region of Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Despite of advancements in treatment modalities, dental caries remains a serious health problem in human society. Reports on the pattern of dental caries in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh is lacking in English literature. The present study aimed to describe the pattern of caries among the patients attending the Conservative Dentistry and Endodontic Unit of Faculty of Dental Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Methodology: A total of 1516 cases were retrieved from the OPD records during a period of two years for the diagnosis of dental caries, age, gender, tooth types and tooth surfaces. The obtained data was entered in MS-Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS 10.0 software. Results: The results showed that mandibular first molars were more commonly affected. Irrespective of tooth type involved males were more commonly affected. Overall male to female ratio was 1.42:1. Young patients (<30 years) had more class I cavities while class V cavities were seen in patients elder than 60 years. Occlusal surface was most commonly affected. Conclusion: The present study provides a baseline data for planning intervention programs that will assist in reducing the occurrence of dental diseases.