title: Dental caries in primary school children in Nairobi, Kenya.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to record the caries status in children attending public primary schools in Nairobi. The sample comprised 513 children, 262 aged 6-8 years and 251 aged 13-15 years. The children were drawn from six randomly selected schools in the city. Clinical examination was carried out in a room with natural daylight, using the WHO (1977) criteria. Fifty-four per cent of the 6- to 8-year-olds and 50% of the 13- to 15-year-olds were caries-free. The mean dmft in the 6- to 8-year-olds was 1.7, and the mean dmfs was 3.5. The mean DMFT in the 13- to 15-year-olds was 1.8, and the mean DMFS was 2.9. The d- and D-components dominated and were mainly located in the occlusal surfaces. The f-component of the dmft and the F-component of the DMFT comprised 1% and 10%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in the prevalence of caries between males and females in the younger age group. In the older age group, however, females had a higher (p < 0.05) prevalence than males. In general, the study showed a low caries prevalence in Nairobi children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Dental School, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ng'ang'a
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valderhaug
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar; D012737:Sex Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous