National pathfinder survey of dental caries prevalence and treatment needs in The Gambia.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess dental caries status and treatment needs in The Gambia for the purpose of national planning.


METHODS
1,235 subjects were obtained with a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. Clinical examinations were carried out using the criteria suggested in WHO Basic Methods (WHO 1987). The WHO J2 software programme was used for data analysis.


RESULTS
More than half of the subjects had caries. Mean DMFT increased from 1.7 in the 7-year-old group to 8.8 in 65-99-year-olds. Mean DT peaked at 5.1 in the 30-34-year-old group before declining to 3.2 among the 65-99-year-olds. Mean filled teeth (FT) was zero in all ages. Missing teeth (MT) increased from 0.1 in 13-year-olds to 5.6 among the 65-99-year group. Mean DMFT was 2.3, 2.8, and 6.6 in 12-year-olds, 15-year-olds and 35-44-year-olds respectively. Unmet treatment need (DT/DMFT) was 90-100% in subjects below 25 years. Need for dental extraction increased from 15% to 63% in 65-99-year-olds. Between 0.3 and 2.8 teeth required extraction, and 46-79% of subjects needed conservative treatment. Dental auxiliaries should be trained to carry out extractions and fillings using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART).
Adegbembo
A O
AO
Intercountry Centre for Oral Health (ICOH) for Africa, PMB 2067, Old Bukuru Road, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. albert.adegbembo@utoronto.ca
Adeyinka
A
A
George
M O
MO
Aihveba
N
N
Danfillo
I S
IS
Thorpe
S J
SJ
Enwonwu
C O
CO
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005714:Gambia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006285:Health Planning; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology