Dental health and treatment needs among children in a tribal community.

OBJECTIVE To assess the dental health status and treatment needs among children of 'Pardhi' tribal community. METHODS A total of 185 children were examined over a period of 2 months using WHO proforma. The statistical software namely SPSS version 15.0 and data was analyzed using Student's t-test and ANOVA test at p < 0.05. RESULTS The mean score for dft and DMFT was 1.87 ± 1.073 and 2.04 ± 1.564 respectively with males subjects were having comparatively more scores. It was also found significant differences between age groups. Most of the children needed one surface filling, i.e. 29.40%, followed by pulp care and restoration (19.30%), two or more surface fillings (15.60%) and extraction (11.70%). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The study subjects were characterized by a lack of dental care services, high prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs. Therefore, implementation of a basic oral health care program for this tribal population is a high priority.