September 2019

Objective: This study aimed to assess the dental caries status of Nepali students and describe correlated modifiable factors. Basic research design: Cross-sectional analytic study. Participants: 730 grade two to four (6-14 years old) students from 23 different government schools in seven different districts in Nepal from December 2014 to February 2015. The schools were located in areas of low socioeconomic status without access to fluoridated water. Method: A trained, calibrated dentist performed visual examination using WHO criteria. Data on demographic variables, oral health behaviors, the number of shops (including sugary snacks) around each school and the distance from Dhulikhel city (where many medical and dental facilities are available) to each school were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with dental caries. Results: Of the participants, 53.7% and 14.4% had decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) in the primary and permanent dentition, respectively. The mean number of primary decayed teeth (dt) was found to be 1.69, and the permanent dt was 0.22; mean dmft was 1.74 in primary dentition and 0.22 in permanent dentition. The number of markets near a school and the distance to the Dhulikhel city were associated with permanent (odds ratio [OR]: 1.67) and primary dmft (OR: 0.62), respectively, after adjusting for the related covariates. Conclusions: Most dental caries remains untreated. Students with more shops near their school and who attended schools closer to the city were more likely to have dental caries. Keywords: dental caries, dental health survey, oral health, Nepal, schools