Oral Health in 12- and 15-Year-Old Children in Serbia: A National Pathfinder Study

Tamara Peric, Guglielmo Campus (), Evgenija Markovic, Bojan Petrovic, Ivan Soldatovic, Ana Vukovic, Biljana Kilibarda, Jelena Vulovic, Jovan Markovic and Dejan Markovic
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Tamara Peric: Clinic for Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Guglielmo Campus: Department of Restorative, Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dental Clinic, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
Evgenija Markovic: Clinic of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Bojan Petrovic: Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dentistry Clinic of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Ivan Soldatovic: Department of Statistics and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Ana Vukovic: Clinic for Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Biljana Kilibarda: Institute of Public Health of Serbia “Dr. Milan Jovanović Batut”, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Vulovic: Clinic for Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jovan Markovic: Clinic of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dejan Markovic: Clinic for Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: The aim of the paper is to present the oral health profile of 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Serbia. Basic Methods for Oral Health Surveys of the WHO were implemented to record: Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth/Surfaces Index (DMFT/DMFS), gingival bleeding, enamel fluorosis and other structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesions. In addition, Silness and Löe plaque index and orthodontic status were assessed. A total of 36% of 12-year-olds and 22% of 15-year-olds in Serbia were caries-free. The mean DMFT was 2.32 ± 2.69 for 12-year-olds and 4.09 ± 3.81 for 15-year-olds. DMFT was made up largely by the decayed component. Gingival bleeding was present in 26% of examined 12-year-old and 18% of 15-year-old children. Dental plaque was observed in 63% of both 12- and 15-year-olds. Fluorosis, structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesion were rarely detected. Low prevalence of malocclusions was found. Oral disease is still a common public health problem among schoolchildren in Serbia. A significant increase in the prevalence of caries disease between 12- and 15-year-old groups implies that preventive care for adolescents requires special attention. Corrective actions and reforms to the current school-based oral health prevention program are needed to further improve oral health in Serbian children.

Keywords: oral health; schoolchildren; Serbia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12269-:d:926765

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