Dental caries and periodontal conditions among primary school children in Morogoro municipality, Tanzania.

Objective: To describe the occurrence of dental caries and periodontal conditions among standards three and four primary school children in Morogoro municipality and compare the obtained oral health indicators with the goals stipulated in the National Plan for Oral Health by the year 2002.

Design: Cross sectional study of the oral health status among eight to 15-year old primary school children.

Setting: Primary schools in Morogoro municipality, Tanzania.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 1,297 standards three and four children in five primary schools randomly selected from a list of 36 primary schools of Morogoro municipality were examined for oral health status. Dental caries and periodontal status were recorded using the criteria described in the WHO manual for Oral health Surveys, Basic Methods (1997). Oral cleanliness was assessed using plaque index.

Main Outcome Measures: Dental caries prevalence, experience and its distribution by tooth type and jaw and prevalence and severity of periodontal conditions and oral cleanliness.

Results: Seventy six percent of the children were caries free, and the mean DM-T was 0.41. No fillings were encountered. Seventy six per cent of carious lesions were in pits and fissures of lower molars. Only 21% of the caries lesions were in the pits and fissures of upper molars. Seventy five per cent of the children had all sextants with no gingivitis or calculus. Mean sextants with gingivitis, calculus and visible plaque were 0.25, 0.69 and 2.44 respectively.

Conclusions: Standard four and standard four children in Morogoro municipality primary schools had very low levels of dental caries, good oral hygiene and a very low prevalence of gingivitis. No restorative treatment had been provided to these pupils. It is recommended that Morogoro municipality should start a dental caries treatment programme in primary schools in order to attain the national goal of 10% of the "F" component of DMF-T by the year 2002.