title: Caries experience of Egyptian adolescents: does the atraumatic restorative treatment approach offer a solution?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence and severity of dental caries amongst Egyptian adolescents and the prevalence of carious lesions treatable through the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a convenient sample procedure, two secondary schools with a dental clinic were selected (967 students, average age: 13.7 ± 0.8 years, range: 12-15). Dental caries was diagnosed using the ART caries criteria, and plaque and calculus were assessed using the Green and Vermillion criteria amongst students grades 1-3 in the dental clinic by 3 calibrated examiners. The effect of the independent variables gender, age, tooth surface, jaw side (left or right) and type of jaw (mandible/maxilla) on dependent caries experience variables and D(2) and D(3) variables were tested using ANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of dental caries including enamel lesion (D(2)MFT) amongst the 967 students was 51.4% and that of dental caries excluding enamel lesions (D(3)MFT) was 38.1%. The mean D(2)MFT and D(3)MFT scores were 1.5 and 0.8, respectively. The percentage of teeth filled and extracted was low. Female students had statistically significantly higher mean D(3)MFT/S and D(2)MFT/S scores than males (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of cavitated carious lesions (D(3)) treatable through ART was 48% for score 2 and 28% for score 3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the cavitated lesions were found untreated despite the presence of a dental clinic and a dentist on the school premises. The majority of cavitated lesions without pulp involvement could be treated using the preventive and restorative components of the ART approach.
authors: Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. enasmobarak@hotmail.com
authors: E H
authors: EH
authors: Mobarak
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Shabayek
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Mulder
authors: A H
authors: AH
authors: Reda
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Frencken
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003743:Dental Enamel; D003773:Dental Plaque; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D015995:Prevalence; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous