Tarik Aziz Khan, Health Program, Gonoshasthaya Kendra (People's Health Centre), Mirzanagar-Savar,Dhaka-1344, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 7708335, gkhealth@dhaka.net

Background: A survey took place in Gonopathshala primary school (August-September 2003) to determine the caries experience of schoolchildren aged 4-12 years. The DMFT/dmft (decayed, missing or filled teeth) is an international scoring to determine the amount of caries during a clinic visit. Dental caries is the most common infectious disease which is transmitted through saliva of the mother as well as by intimate care providers and shared utensils. Objective: To determine the dmft level of this age group and also to examine factors associated with caries. Methodology: In this exploratory study, the sample was drawn from school survey by selecting randomly children aged between 4-12 years. A total of 72 schoolchildren participated into the study. The dependent variable caries status was analyzed as a dichotomus (carious and caries free subjects). Mean values, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using SPSS program version 11. Results: The overall dmft=0 for schoolchildren was 56.9% with mean ± standard deviation was 1.08 ± 1.59. Girls reported having slightly more caries than boys (51.6% vs 48.4%), an 63% excess risk (OR=1.63, 95% CI=0.63, 4.19). Children brushing once or less daily had 73.3% more caries than those brushing twice or more daily (26.7%), the risk was 5.9 times (OR=5.92, 95% CI=2.09, 16.18). In the socio-economic group, poor children had higher caries (72%) compared to middle class children (28%) (OR=1.03, 95% CI= 0.34, 3.13). Conclusion: Poor knowledge about caries increased the risk of decayed teeth in schoolchildren particularly in lower socioeconomic status children.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List 5 or more common dietary foods as dentally safe and unsafe.
• Develop tooth-brushing skills with fluoridated paste rather than using traditional brushing agents such as powder, ash, charcoal etc.
• Recognize the importance of dental clinic visit at least twice a year. 4. Create opportunity for low socioeconomic status groups for dental checkups at school level

Keywords: Oral Health, Oral Health Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.