title: Dental caries and their treatment needs in 3-5 year old preschool children in a rural district of India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dental problems in the preschool children are neglected by their parents as the deciduous teeth are going to shed off, and hence considered to be of no importance and more of economic burden if attended to them.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was to determine the caries prevalence in preschool children (3-5-year-old) of rural Moradabad district, to analyze the specific pattern of dental caries experience in this population and to assess the treatment needs among them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children within the age group of 3-5 years attending Anganwadi centers of rural Moradabad district were included in the study. Caries diagnosis was based on decayed, extracted, filled surface (defs) and the treatment needs were recorded using World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form 1997.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 1,500 children examined, 48.7% males and 52.6% females did not require any treatment. The mean decayed, extracted, filled teeth (deft) value was found to be significantly high in 5-year-old participants when compared to 3-year-old participants (P < 0.01). Majority of the children required one surface filling followed by two surface fillings, caries arresting sealant care, extraction, crown bridge element, pulp care, and space maintainer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common pattern was pit and fissure, then maxillary anterior pattern, posterior proximal pattern, and posterior buccal lingual smooth surface pattern. The mean deft value was higher in males as compared to females. There is a greater need for oral health education among parents and teachers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Institute of Dental Science, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, General Secretary, International Society for Holistic Dentistry, India.
authors.forename: Devanand
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Jaipur Dental College, Jaipur, India.
authors.forename: Rizwan K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Momin
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, NIMS Dental College, Jaipur, India.
authors.forename: Ayush
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Dental Sciences, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Kavuri Teja
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Teerthanker Mahaveer Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Ankita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Consultant Dental Surgeon, Pritam Dental Care, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Neelima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dommaraju
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Teerthanker Mahaveer Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Deepak Ranjan
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Dalai
authors.affiliation: Government Degree College, Banbasa, Uttrakhand, India.
authors.forename: Rajendra Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
keywords: Dental caries; Uttrakhand; preschool children; rural India; treatment needs