Dental and periodontal status of 12-year-old Bulang children in China.
BACKGROUND
Bulang is an ethnic minority group living in Yunnan in the southwestern part of China. There is little information pertaining to the oral health of Bulang children. This study aims to examine the dental caries and periodontal status of 12-year-old Bulang children in China and the factors affecting their oral-health status.


METHODS
12-year-old Bulang school children in Yunnan, China, were recruited through a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Following the recommendation of the World Health Organization, caries experiences were recorded using the DMFT index and periodontal status with the CPI index. A self-completed questionnaire was used to collect information on the background and oral health-related behaviours of the children.


RESULTS
A total of 900 children in primary schools were invited, and 873 (97%) joined the survey. Their caries prevalence was 35%. Their caries experience in mean DMFT (±SD) score was 0.6 ± 1.1, and 94% of the carious teeth had no treatment. Most children (71%) had bleeding gums, and 58% of them had calculus. Girls and those who had visited a dentist in the previous year had higher caries risk.


CONCLUSIONS
Dental caries was common among the 12-year-old Bulang children in China. Most of the carious teeth were left untreated. Caries prevalence was associated with gender and dental attendance. Their periodontal condition was poor, and more than half of them had calculus.
Shinan
S
Zhang
Juan
J
Liu
Edward C M
EC
Lo
Faculty of Dentistry, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. chchu@hku.hk.
Chun-Hung
CH
Chu
D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004245:DMF Index; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000453:epidemiology; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D062410:Snacks; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data