Investigation on the oral health status and economic burden of oral disease among school-age children in Wu-han
Objective:To investigate the oral health status and economic burden of oral disease among the school-age children in Wuhan.Methods:Totally 657 pupils in second grade from primary schools in the urban and suburban areas in Wuhan were recruited for oral examination,questionnaire survey and statistical analysis in March 2023.Results:The preva-lence rate of dental caries was 86.3%,the mean dmft+DMFT was(5.5±4.0).And 22.8%of the children had dental visit within the past year and the average economic burden of oral disease was 488.5 yuan.There were significant differences be-tween the pupils in urban and suburban area in the experience of dental visit,frequency of toothbrushing and use of fluoride toothpaste(P<0.05).Conclusion:The school-age children in Wuhan had a high prevalence rate of dental caries and poor o-ral health behaviors.Most of the decayed teeth were untreated.Oral health education and promotion should be further strengthened to improve the oral health status of primary school children in the future.
Dental cariesOral healthSchool-age childrenEconomic burden of disease