Prevalence and severity of dental caries in Libyan schoolchildren

Objectives: To assess prevalence and severity of dental caries, examine gender differences and assess the relationship of dental caries to socioeconomic status in a group of Libyan schoolchildren. Design and setting: A cross sectional observational study with cluster sampling within schools. Participants: A random sample of 791, 12-year-olds in 36 elementary public schools in Benghazi. Methods and main outcome measures: Dental caries was assessed using the DMFT and DMFS indices and WHO (1997) criteria. Information about socioeconomic status was collected through a dental health questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 57.8%. The mean DMFT and DMFS indices were 1.68 (SD +/- 1.86) and 2.39 (SD +/- 3.05) for all subjects and 2.90 (SD +/- 1.56) and 4.14 (SD +/- 2.97) for subjects with caries experience. Dental caries was more prevalent amongst girls (P = 0.002). There was a statistically significantly negative association between dental caries and the level of father's education (P = 0.015). Conclusions: While dental caries prevalence in 12 year-old Libyan children was high, the mean DMFT was low compared with other developing countries, but higher than the WHO goal for year 2020. The high level of untreated caries is a cause for concern, representing a high unmet treatment need.