Assessing Caries Prevalence and Severity Differences between Adult Smokers and Non-Smokers residing in Clark County Nevada

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in untreated decay and Mean DMFT scores between adult smokers and non-smokers who participated in the Nevada Crackdown on Cancer Oral Health Initiative.

Methods: Trained and calibrated licensed dental examiners performing oral health screenings in mobile dental clinics obtained cross-sectional retrospective data. Almost 900 (N=882; Males=417; Females=460) adults participated in the Nevada Oral Health Initiative since its inception in 2001. Prevalence was defined as any untreated caries (d-score), and severity was defined as the number of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT). Means and standard error were computed.

Results: There were significant differences between males and females regarding caries prevalence (p=0.008)(Males: M=5.21, SE=0.07; Females: M=6.65, SE=0.75) and severity (p=0.039) (Males: M=19.88, SE 1.09; Females: M=25.40, SE=1.99) with females having higher untreated decay and higher Mean DMFT. There were also differences between those who smoke and those who do not smoke in caries prevalence (p=0.03) (Smokers: M=7.06, SE=0.18; non-smokers: M=5.65, SE=0.16) and severity (p=0.02) (Smokers: M=27.16, SE=1.03; non=smokers: M=24.76, SE=1.12). When controlling for smoking status, there were significant differences between males and females (p=0.04), with female smokers presenting with the highest untreated tooth decay (M=7.75, SE=0.86) and Mean DMFT (M=26.20, SE=1.44).

Conclusions: This study indicates that dental caries is still a serious problem in Nevada adults, specifically those who smoke. Efforts should continue to decrease the trends, including educational programs targeting this population. The Fund for a healthy Nevada Grant provided the funding for this study.