title: Prevalence of dental caries among a cohort of preschool children living in Gampaha district, Sri Lanka: a descriptive cross sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dental caries among young children are a global problem. Scant attention is paid towards primary teeth, leading to high prevalence of dental caries. There are only few studies done in Sri Lanka, addressing oral hygiene among preschool children. Scientific evidence is in need to persuade authorities to establish a programme promoting oral hygiene among preschool children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Ragama Medical officer of Health area. Consecutive children between 2 - 5 years of age, attending child welfare clinics were recruited for the study. Practices related to dental hygiene and socio-economic characteristics were obtained using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Mouth was examined for evidence of dental caries. Data collection and examination were done by two doctors who were trained for this purpose. The data were analysed using SSPS version 16.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total of 410 children were included. None had a routine visits to a dentist. Practices related to tooth brushing were satisfactory. Prevalence of dental caries gradually increased with age to reach 68.8% by 5 years. Mean total decayed-extracted-filled (deft) score for the whole sample was 1.41 and Significant caries index (SIC) was 4.09. Decayed tooth were the main contributor for the deft score and Care index was only 1.55. Girls had a significantly higher prevalence of caries than boys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental care provided for Sri Lankan preschool children appears to be unsatisfactory as prevalence of dental caries among this cohort of preschool children was very high. There is an urgent need to improve dental care facilities for Sri Lankan preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. priyanthaprr@gmail.com
authors.forename: Priyantha J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Nishadhi T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Abeyweera
authors.forename: Meranthi P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.forename: Tania D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Warnakulasuriya
authors.forename: Nayomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ranathunga
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014100:Toothpastes