The oral health status of Omani 12-year-olds--a national survey

Dental caries in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

In KSA, numerous studies are conducted to measure the prevalence of dental caries. However, the prevalence of dental caries varies in KSA. This systematic review aims to improve the understanding of the prevalence of dental caries among adults and children residing in KSA.

METHODS

Online databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched. The Saudi Dental Journal was hand-searched. Study selection and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. The studies on dental caries in the Saudi population were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Finally, a narrative synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

Forty-nine cross-sectional studies were identified. Areas of weakness in study design/conduct were low response rates, reliable outcome measurement, and identification and handling of confounding factors. Statistical pooling of data was not appropriate due to substantial heterogeneity, also in part to a variation in geographical location and the target population. Twenty-nine studies presented data for primary dentition. The proportion of dental caries among primary teeth ranged from 0.21 to 1.00. Eighteen studies presented data for permanent dentition. The proportion of dental caries across permanent teeth ranged from 0.05 to 0.99.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, the methodological quality of the included studies was poor. Dental caries proportion level ranged from 0.05 to 0.99 in permanent teeth, and 0.21 to 1.00 across primary teeth. The available data does not provide a complete assessment of dental caries across KSA. Existing studies are limited in terms of the populations studied for dental caries.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of School Children's Caries Studies in Gulf Cooperation Council States

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of dental caries school children in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area, to help the development of systematic approaches for preventive oral care programs in the GCC states and to provide sound information for oral health promotion and public health care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search to identify both published and unpublished articles concerning relevant studies of dental caries in children aged 6-16 years for their permanent teeth published from 1992 to 2016 with no language and time limit was performed. The search strategies employed electronic databases and incorporated both dental subject headings and free-text term.

RESULTS

The overall mean decayed, missing and filled teeth in the permanent teeth was 2.57, and the prevalence was 64.7% in the GCC area.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the studies were conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results may not be a true reflection, and other countries in GCC are urged to study the prevalence and severity of caries in their children population.

Sultanate of Oman: building a dental workforce

BACKGROUND

A medium- and long-term perspective is required in human resource development to ensure that future needs and demands for oral healthcare are met by the most appropriate health professionals. This paper presents a case study of the Sultanate of Oman, one of the Gulf States with a current population of 3.8 million, which has initiated dental training through the creation of a dental college.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this paper are first to describe trends in the dental workforce in Oman from 1990 to date and compare the dental workforce with its medical counterparts in Oman and with other countries, and second, to consider future dental workforce in the Sultanate.

METHODS

Data were collected from published sources, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Manpower (MoM), and Ministry of National Economy (MoNE)-Sultanate of Oman; the World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank; and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Dentist-to-population ratios were compared nationally, regionally and globally for medicine and dentistry. Dental graduate outputs were mapped onto the local supply. Future trends were examined using population growth predictions, exploring the expected impact in relation to global, regional and European workforce densities.

RESULTS

Population growth in Oman is increasing at a rate of over 2% per year. Oman has historically been dependent upon an expatriate dental workforce with only 24% of the dentist workforce Omani in 2010 (n = 160). Subsequent to Oman Dental College (ODC) starting to qualify dental (BDS) graduates in 2012, there is an increase in the annual growth of the dentist workforce. On the assumption that all future dental graduates from ODC have an opportunity to practise in Oman, ODC graduates will boost the annual Omani dentist growth rate starting at 28% per annum from 2012 onwards, building capacity towards global (n = 1711) and regional levels (Gulf State: n = 2167) in the medium term.

CONCLUSION

The output of dental graduates from Oman Dental College is improving the dentist-to-population ratio and helping the Sultanate to realize its aim of developing an Omani-majority dental workforce. The implications for retention of dentists and team training are discussed.

Periodontal diseases in an Omani adult population: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND

Data on the periodontal status of the adult population in the Arab world are scarce. The aim of this pilot study is to assess the prevalence, extent, and severity of periodontal diseases in an adult group from Oman.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study of 319 teachers who were randomly sampled from the list of teachers from the Muscat region schools in Oman. Dental caries, tooth loss, and periodontal attachment loss (AL) were recorded for each of the participants. A questionnaire collected data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, dental-care characteristics, self-rated periodontal status, and self-rated well-being.

RESULTS

A total of 99% of participants had at least one site with probing depth (PD) or clinical AL of ≥ 3 mm. More than one third (36%) of participants had at least one site with AL ≥ 5 mm, and 12% had at least one site with AL ≥ 6 mm; for PD, the prevalence estimates were 26% and 8%, respectively, and a gradient by age group was evident across the different thresholds. Regarding the extent of disease, 17.6% of sites had PD ≥ 3 mm, and 21% of sites had AL ≥ 3 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence, extent, and severity of periodontitis were higher than estimates reported from industrialized countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. This is of concern, especially when considering the relatively young age of the study population. Because of this high prevalence, investigation of periodontitis in a national sample of Omanis is desirable to confirm the findings of this study.

Oral health status and treatment needs among school children in Sana'a City, Yemen

Data on the oral health status and treatment needs among Yemeni children are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To assess caries prevalence, treatment needs and gingival health status among school children in Sana'a City and to examine how these are affected by age, gender and khat chewing.

METHODS

1489 children (6- to 14-year old) were randomly selected from 27 schools representing all nine districts of Sana'a City. Dental caries and treatment needs were evaluated using standard WHO oral survey methods. The plaque index (PI), calculus index (CI) and the gingival index (GI), recorded at the six Ramfjord's teeth, were used to assess gingival health status.

RESULTS

4.1% of the study subjects were caries-free. Prevalence of these was significantly higher among the males. Overall, mean dmfs, dmft, DMFS and DMFT scores were 8.45, 4.16, 3.59 and 2.25 respectively. The decayed component accounted for >85% of the scores. The highest dmfs/dmft means were found among the 6-8 years age group, while the highest DMFS/DMFT means were scored by the 12-14 years age group. The need for restorative treatment and extractions was high; the former was significantly higher among the females. All subjects had gingivitis; the mean PI, CI and GI were 1.25, 0.3 and 1.36 respectively. Khat chewing did not affect caries experience; however, it was significantly associated with higher PI, CI and GI scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of caries, gingivitis and treatment needs among children in Sana'a city is high. More surveys in other Yemeni cities to generate comprehensive data are required.

A pilot study of dental caries status in relation to knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health in Myanmar

This study was to determine the dental caries prevalence among the Myanmar population, and to investigate the correlations between oral clinical indices and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on oral health. Subjects were randomly selected from 140,000 people residing in the Kyauktan township in a cross-sectional community-based study. The present analysis was confined to 739 subjects (353 males and 386 females) aged 12, 35-44 and 65-74 years, who were divided into two specified groups based on urban or rural location. KAP on oral health data and social demographic information were collected, while dental caries status was assessed by DMFT. The mean number of decayed teeth (DT) in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas, while the mean number of filled teeth (FT) in rural areas was lower than that in urban areas. Mean knowledge and attitude scores for correct answers were also significantly higher for the urban than the rural subjects. There were statistically significant correlations between the correct/incorrect responses to knowledge and attitude questionnaires on oral health and the mean number of DMFT. KAP pertaining to oral health of Myanmar population, especially those of rural subjects, might not be satisfactory and related to threaten their dental caries status.

Caries prevalence and treatment needs of 12-year-old children in the Islamic Republic of Iran

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs of 12-year-old children living in Teheran and a rural area surrounding Esfahan.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 1,102 pupils were examined clinically for caries according to WHO criteria. One calibrated dentist examined all children.

RESULTS

Of the children studied, 63.8% had sound permanent dentition, 9.9% had filled teeth and 26.3% needed treatment. The mean DMFT value found was 0.77 (DFS: 1.19). The D component was 58.7%, the M component 3.4% and the F component 37.9%. The levels of caries experience varied according to the child's residence. The teeth of children living in the rural area (mean DMFT: 0.38) were significantly less affected than those of children living in Teheran (mean DMFT: 1.1). In the capital city of Teheran, considerable differences related to social status were observed. The lowest DMFT values (0.74) were found in southern Teheran where the poorest people live. The highest caries experience was found in the middle-class social stratum.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that caries prevalence among 12-year-old children in the Islamic Republic of Iran is as low as in the developed countries of central Europe.

The progression of dental disease in Omani schoolchildren

Following the first National Oral Health Survey of Omani 12-year-olds in 1993, in 1996 a follow-up survey was performed of the same cohort of subjects as 15-year-olds. The mean DMFT was found to have doubled from 1.5 to 3.2. The oral hygiene status remained poor with only a slight increase of those scored as plaque-free from 11% to 19% whilst the number of children reportedly with supra-gingival lingual calculus had risen from 28.5% to 42.5%.

Dental caries prevalence and treatment need in Chiriqui Province, Panama

A pathfinder pilot survey was conducted in rural Chiriqui Province, Panama, using standard WHO methodology, in order to estimate dental caries prevalence and treatment need. Examinations for caries and treatment need were performed by six trained, experienced examiners. From a convenience sample of 2,597 subjects, a stratified cluster sample was constructed using index ages 12 and 15 years and age groups 35-44 and 65-74 years. The results showed a mean Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth index (DMFT) of 4.08 for 12 year olds, 6.40 for 15 year olds, 13.20 for the 35-44 age group, and 18.88 for the 65-74 age group (P < 0.001). No statistically significant differences by gender were found. These findings rank rural Panama with Mexico and Haiti when compared to the results of other Central American community studies. The percentage of caries free 12 year olds was 6.8 per cent. Of the total sample, 74.7 per cent of individuals would require one or multiple surface restorations and 47.9 per cent would require at least one extraction. Restorative need was greatest in the 15 year olds. The severity of dental caries in this sample was moderately severe and the treatment need extraordinarily high.