Caries prevalence and severity in urban Fijian school children.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries in a sample of urban Fijian school children.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Children aged between 6 and 8 years who attended one of four primary schools in different localities of Suva completed self-report questionnaires and were examined for dental caries.


RESULTS
A total of 704 children (response rate = 72.4%) returned questionnaires and were examined dentally. The prevalence of dental caries in the primary dentition was 87.6% and in the permanent dentition, 46.7%. The mean dfs and mean DFS were 8.43 (SD 7.82) and 2.38 (SD 1.37), respectively. High caries prevalence and severity were associated with infrequent brushing, snacking on sugar-containing foods, having seen a dentist before, and having last visited a dentist because of pain.


CONCLUSIONS
The caries prevalence of the sample was comparable with findings from a national oral health survey conducted in 1985/86, but the caries severity was greater. As in other developing countries, this may be due to an increased availability of refined sugar products without a concurrent rise in oral health awareness. The study findings contribute to the overall picture of Fijian school children's dental health.
Jamieson
L M
LM
Department of Oral Sciences, University of Otago School of Medicine, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Thomson
W M
WM
McGee
R
R
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D019422:Dietary Sucrose