A simplified dental examination for detection of cavitated carious lesions in school setting

Authors: Haleem, Abdul¹; Khan, Ayyaz Ali²; Siddiqui, Muhammad Irfanullah³

Source: Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, Volume 37, Number 3, June 2009 , pp. 276-283(8)

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Abstract:

Haleem A, Khan AA, Siddiqui MI. A simplified dental examination for detection of cavitated carious lesions in school setting. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2009; 37: 276-283. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract - Objective:

The objective of the study was to compare a simplified dental examination involving the use of a wooden spatula and a toothpick (TS examination) with the conventional dental mirror and probe examination (MP examination) for detection of cavitated carious lesions in schoolchildren. Methods:

The study involved three groups of caries-positive schoolchildren aged 4-5, 9-10 and 13-14 years with 179, 188 and 202 children, respectively. All children were examined by a trained and calibrated examiner using a wooden spatula and a toothpick under natural light. After a week the same examiner examined the three groups of children by a dental mirror and a Community Periodontal Index (CPI) probe. `Teeth' were considered as units of measurement for data analysis. The WHO recommended criteria (2) for decayed, missing and filled teeth were followed for recording dental caries on a specially designed recording form. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, false-positive rate and false-negative rate of TS examination were calculated using MP examination as the standard method. Results:

The specificity of TS examination was well above 95% in three types of dentition. Although the sensitivity of this type of examination in deciduous and mixed dentitions was almost comparable with that of MP examination, it was the lowest for permanent dentition but still within the acceptable limits. Conclusion:

The TS examination can provide an alternative to traditional MP examination to undertake regular check-ups of schoolchildren for dental caries.

Keywords: dental caries; dental check-ups; simplified dental examination

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2009.00464.x

Affiliations: 1: Community Dentistry Department, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan 2: Faculty of Dentistry, Riphah University, Islamabad, Pakistan 3: Department of Community Health Sciences, Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry, Karachi, Pakistan

Publication date: 2009-06-01

A simplified dental examination for detection of cavitated carious lesions in school setting

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