COMMUNITY DENTISTRY
SCENARIO 2 (5)
The World Health Organization has evaluated
the prevalence of dental caries for the 12-year-olds.
Data from recent studies show that the mean caries
prevalence among 12-year-olds in Latvia, Lithuania,
and Estonia was 5.8, 4.9, and 4.6, respectively. Absence
of caries was recorded in 5% of Latvian and Estonian
and 12% of Lithuanian 12-year-olds. Fifteen-yearold Latvians and Lithuanians averaged 8.1 and 7.0
DMFT, which, owing to the absence of radiographic
examination, may be a substantial underestimation
of real caries levels (exposure time). The possible
adverse effects of the privatization of dental care and
the benefits of increased access to fluoride dentifrice
in these countries have not been evaluated yet. The
extremely poor oral hygiene seen in epidemiologic
surveys indicates that fluoride dentifrices may not be
widely used (health system). The caries levels in the
Baltic states resemble those commonly encountered
a couple of decades ago in the Nordic countries
(exposure time).
SCENARIO 3 (9)
According to a National Oral Health Survey report
2004, caries prevalence in India was 51.9%, 53.8%
and 63.1% at ages of 5, 12 and 15 years respectively in
different parts of the country. Available literature from
1940-1960 shows the prevalence of dental caries in
India had a varied picture. This study was carried out to
measure the caries prevalence and treatment needs in
school children of 6-14 years of age residing in coastal
areas of West Bengal (9). The overall caries prevalence
in the permanent dentition was 28.06%. It was of
25.39% in boys and of 30.86% in girls (9).
The Discussion sections mentions the comparison
of these figures with other studies. A similar result
was reported by Saravanan et al. in 2008. (10)
They reported that the prevalence of caries in the
permanent dentition was 26.5%. The prevalence
of caries increases significantly with age in the
permanent dentition. A very low level of dental caries
was reported by (6, 7, 8).
In 12 year-old school children in urban Kenya in 1984,
a caries prevalence of nearly 22% and a 0.5 DMFT were
reported by the author. Low caries prevalence was
reported by Knutson in 1947. He reported the caries
prevalence in 6-year-old children in Nicollet Country,
Minnesota. The caries prevalence was 24.3%. In 1939
Sarkar examined 18,445 school children up to 16 years
of