Assessing Caries Prevalence and Severity in Hispanics Living in Nevada: A Trend Analysis

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in prevalence and severity of dental caries in Hispanic children living in Nevada examined between 2001 and 2007.

Methods: Trained and calibrated licensed dental examiners performing oral health screenings in mobile dental clinics obtained cross-sectional retrospective data. Over 55,000 students, ages 13 to 19, enrolled in middle/high schools in Nevada participated in the screenings beginning in 2001. Prevalence was defined as any caries experience including untreated (decayed teeth) and restored lesions (filled teeth)(dft). Indices used to measure severity were the number of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT). Means and standard error were computed. Trends were analyzed using Analysis of Variance with Polymonial contrasts.

Results: Results showed a statistically significant decrease from 2001 to 2007 in the prevalence (dft score) (M=4.08, SE=0.165 vs. M=2.92, SE=0.068) and severity (DMFT score) (M=4.47, SE=0.174 vs. M=3.17, SE=0.070) in caries. Similar decreasing trends were found when comparing trends to national data.

Conclusions: The prevalence of caries in children persists in both developed and underdeveloped countries, particularly among underprivileged groups. While this study indicates an actual decline in dental caries prevalence and severity among the schoolchildren from 2001 through 2007, the severity of caries is still above the targeted global oral health goal of 3.0. Efforts should be made to continue the decreasing trends, including educational programs targeting this population. The Fund for a healthy Nevada Grant provided the funding for this study.