Beyond Decay: A PUFA Index-Based Cross-Sectional Study of Untreated Dental Caries in Children

Background- Untreated dental caries can negatively impact a child’s general health, development, productivity, academic performance, and oral health-related quality of life. The PUFA/pufa index was developed to assess the clinical consequences of untreated caries, which are not captured by traditional indices like DMFT/dmft. Aim- To assess the clinical consequences of untreated dental caries using the PUFA index among children aged 2–10 years attending a tertiary care hospital. Mateials and Methods- The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. In 250 children aged 2–10 years, dental caries was recorded using the dmft/DMFT index, and the clinical consequences of untreated caries were assessed using the PUFA/pufa index through visual examination. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and clinical data. Chi-square tests and t-tests were applied to assess associations between variables. Results- The prevalence of dental caries in deciduous dentition was 82.8 % and 40.5 % for permanent dentition. The overall prevalence of untreated dental caries PUFA 36.9 % among permanent dentition and among primary dentition 80.0%. Almost 43.4% of primary teeth effected with dental caries had developed pulpal involvement. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Conclusion- The PUFA/pufa index provides both qualitative and quantitative insights into the clinical consequences of untreated caries.