Oral health status of 12-year-old schoolchildren in the province of Kadiogo, Burkina Faso

Objective To assess the oral health status of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kadiogo province, Burkina Faso. Design A cross-sectional epidemiological study in which a trained dentist performed clinical examinations. Setting Twenty primary schools in Kadiogo Province. Subjects Three hundred randomly selected children. Outcome measures Oral health status was recorded according to WHO criteria. Demographic characteristics (gender, type of school and geographic location) were also recorded. Results The results showed that 50% of the subjects examined were caries-free. The mean DMFT was 1.72 +/- 0.12 with a significant difference between urban and rural areas (P < 0.05). Decayed teeth were untreated in this population, only 7% of whom had a healthy periodontium. Statistically significant differences were observed according to gender (P < 0.02) and area (P < 0.04). In the whole sample, 81% presented no malocclusion and only two questionable cases of fluorosis were observed. The rate of need for periodontal treatment was 83 to 100% in rural areas; 21% of the children needed at least one extraction and approximately 50% required conservative care. Conclusions The mean DMFT found in this study placed the Kadiogo province in the low DMFT category defined by WHO and within the global goal of Health for All by the Year 2000 at 12 years old. However, decayed teeth were untreated, and periodontal status was very poor. There is therefore a need for appropriate preventive measures.