[Experience, prevalence, severity, treatment needs for dental caries and care index in Mexican adolescents and young adults].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the experience, prevalence and severity of dental caries as well as to establish the treatment needs and restorative care in adolescents and young adults.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study included 638 subjects 16-25 years old candidates to enter to state public university of San Luis Potosí, México. For caries detection was used the DMFT index (sum of decayed teeth + missing teeth + filled teeth in the permanent dentition). With DMFT index data were calculated the experience, the prevalence and the severity of caries. Also are reported the significant caries index (SiC), the treatment needs index (TNI) and the care index (CI). Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric tests.


RESULTS
The mean DMFT index was 4.24 ± 3.85, prevalence 76.5% and severity of 52.3% for DMFT > 3 and 26.2% for DMFT > 6. The SiC index was 8.7. The TNI was 43.0% and 52.8% CI. No variation was observed (p > 0.05) on the experience, prevalence and severity of caries by age. The component "filled teeth" showed differences by age (p < 0.05). Women had higher caries experience and severity than men (p < 0.05), equally "decay teeth" and "filled teeth" (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
We observed high levels of experience, prevalence and severity of dental caries in this sample of adolescents and young adults. We found almost 40% of untreated caries lesions. We found some differences by sex.
José Obed
JO
García-Cortés
Jorge Adrián
JA
Mejia-Cruz
Eduardo
E
Medina-Cerda
Guillermo
G
Orozco-De la Torre
Área Académica de Odontología, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.
Carlo Carlo
CC
Medina-Solís
Sonia
S
Márquez-Rodríguez
José de Jesús
Jde J
Navarrete-Hernández
Horacio
H
Islas-Granillo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult