Caries prevalence and intencity in 6-year-old children from the Krakow region

Introduction: A clinical examination of the state of the dentition amongst 6-year-old children was carried out in the region of Krakow in the years 2010-2012. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of caries and caries intensity measured by the average DM F number for secondary teeth and the average dmf number for primary teeth among 6-year-old children. Material and methods: Examinations were carried out on 105 6-year-olds from the Krakow region, who were the patients of Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. The methodology was based on clinical examination according to WHO standards. The prevalence of caries, DM F and dmf average numbers were calculated. Results: The incidence of caries in the examined population reached 63.81%. There was found a higher percentage of children afflicted with decay in rural areas (77.78%) in comparison with small towns (66.67%) and big towns (57.14%). Boys were more often afflicted with decay than girls in rural areas and in big towns. In small towns the situation was opposite. The average dmf number was 4.56 and the average DM F number was 0.43 mostly resulting from teeth with active decay (D = 0.31). There was found to be a higher intensity of caries in rural areas when compared with towns and higher in boys than in girls. Conclusions: In order to improve the oral health of children it is essential to introduce more intensive prevention programs.