Aim To investigate the prevalence of dental caries and
treatment needs in schoolchildren aged 7-14 years from
Zagreb.
Methods Dental examinations based on the World Health
Organization criteria were performed on 1168 children in
the period 2009-2010. The teeth were clinically examined
with standard dental instruments using visual-tactile method
under standard dental light. We recorded the clinical indexes
of decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT and dmft;
upper-case letters refer to permanent and lower-case letters
to primary teeth) and decayed, missed, and filled surfaces
(DMFS), as well as the significant caries index (SiC).
Results The median DMFT and DMFS of all children were
3 and 4, respectively. The median DMFT and DMFS of 12-
year-old children were 4 and 5, respectively. The highest
median DMFT score of 7 was found among 14-year-old
children. There was a significant difference between age
groups (7-10 years and 11-14 years) in DMFT and DMFS.
Among 8-year-old children, the median dmft index was
the highest (5.5) and SiC index was 7.4. As far as the location
of caries on the surface of the first permanent molar
is concerned, caries occurred mostly in the central occlusal
surface (27.6%).
Conclusion Our results showed a high caries prevalence
among schoolchildren in Zagreb, indicating a need for an
extensive program of primary oral health care.