Dental caries experience among 6-12 year old school children of Budgam district, Jammu and Kashmir state, India

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the caries experience in 6 -12‐yearold schoolchildren in Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir state, India. Material & methods: This study was carried out in Budgam District of Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. A cluster sampling was done to collect the sample. Schools accessible and situated in the district were selected. Sample size of 453 school going children was obtained within the age group of 6-12 years from these schools. DMFT/dmft index was used for recording dental caries. Results: The mean dmft of the school children was 1.355±1.79 which was lower than the mean DMFT 1.74 ±1.92 seen in the permanent dentition of the same children. In primary as well as permanent dentition the decayed component remained higher in comparison to the missing and decayed components. It was also observed that the females had lower caries experience in both the dentitions as compared to boys. Conclusion: The study highlight the extent of dental disease in this community, which reflects the high treatment needs that cannot be met by traditional ways in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India.