title: Caries prevalence among schoolchildren in Zagreb, Croatia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs in schoolchildren aged 7-14 years from Zagreb.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental examinations based on the World Health Organization criteria were performed on 1168 children in the period 2009-2010. The teeth were clinically examined with standard dental instruments using visual-tactile method under standard dental light. We recorded the clinical indexes of decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT and dmft; upper-case letters refer to permanent and lower-case letters to primary teeth) and decayed, missed, and filled surfaces (DMFS), as well as the significant caries index (SiC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median DMFT and DMFS of all children were 3 and 4, respectively. The median DMFT and DMFS of 12-year-old children were 4 and 5, respectively. The highest median DMFT score of 7 was found among 14-year-old children. There was a significant difference between age groups (7-10 years and 11-14 years) in DMFT and DMFS. Among 8-year-old children, the median dmft index was the highest (5.5) and SiC index was 7.4. As far as the location of caries on the surface of the first permanent molar is concerned, caries occurred mostly in the central occlusal surface (27.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed a high caries prevalence among schoolchildren in Zagreb, indicating a need for an extensive program of primary oral health care.
authors.affiliation: School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Gunduliceva 5, Zagreb,Croatia. dukic@sfzg.hr
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dukić
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delija
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lulić Dukić
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence