Caries Risk Assessment among 6- to 12-Year- Old Public and Private School Children in Benin City, Nigeria—a pilot study

Caries risk assessment among school children in Benin City

Abstract

Objective: To assess the caries risk of children aged 6 to 12 years in public and private schools in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years in public and private schools in Benin City, Edo State. Data collection was done with the aid of a researcher administered American Dental Association (ADA) caries risk assessment form. A Chi-square test was used to test associations between two categorical variables at a 5% level of significance.

Results: Data was obtained from two hundred and ten (210) participants, aged 6 to 12 years with a mean age of 9.81+1.5. Majority of the participants were females (52.4%), 10-year-olds (27.6%) and those whose parents are manual workers (52.4%).  Among the 210 children, 18(8.6%) were in low, 124(59.0 %) in moderate and 68(32.4 %) in the high-risk category. The most prevailing variable for the moderate risk category was the non-establishment of dental home while for the high-risk category, it was the frequent/prolonged in-between meals, sugary food or drinks exposure per day. Bivariate analysis revealed that there was an increased percentage of respondents in the high caries risk category with increasing age, among those children whose parents are manual workers, and those in public schools. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that males were less likely to have a high caries risk; private school attendees were less likely to have high caries risk; respondents whose parents were manual workers were more likely to have high caries. The relationship between parents' socioeconomic status and school type with caries risk category was statistically significant. (p < 0.05)

Conclusion: The moderate risk was the predominant caries risk category in this study population. Frequent/prolonged in-between meals, sugary food or drinks exposure per day was the most dominant factor for high risk, and respondents whose parents are manual workers are more likely to have high caries risk.