Oral health status of six-year-old children in Qatar: findings from the national oral health survey

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health has a significant impact on physical, social and mental well-being of an individual. Qatar, like the rest of the world, is experiencing higher prevalence of oral health-related problems.

Objectives: To examine the oral health status and extent of preventive and curative needs among six-year-old school children in Qatar by key demographic indicators.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of 1124 six-year-old private and government primary school children from the 2011 Qatar National Oral Health Survey was performed. Dental caries lesions status of primary dentition was assessed according to the WHO criteria. Descriptive statistics were carried out, and comparison among groups was executed by running t statistics. Logistic regression was performed to interpret the impact of various predictors.

Results: Overall, 71.4% children presented with dental caries lesions with a higher prevalence among girls versus boys (73.8% versus 68.9%). The mean overall dmft was recorded as 4.2 with ±4.2 SD. Qatari children had 3.8 time odds of having dental caries lesions compared with non-Qatari children (P < 0.001). Overall, 18.9% of children showed signs of poor periodontal health. Odds of having more periodontal disease were significant in Qatari boys (OR = 3.1 CI = 2.0, 4.7, P < 0.001) compared to non-Qatari boys. On average, 3.6 teeth per student were in need of any treatment.

Conclusion: This study indicated that only 28.6% of children aged six were free from caries lesions. The results urge to further strengthen the strategies and to improve oral hygiene by various evidence-based interventions.

Keywords: Qatar; dental caries; dmft; epidemiology; national survey; oral health; periodontal health; six-year-old.