Dental treatment needs of children in a rural subcounty of Uganda

OBJECTIVES: To describe normative dental treatment needs of 5-7 and 12-year-olds in a rural sub county of Uganda and devise a strategy to improve oral health. DESIGN: Clinical survey. SETTING: Primary schools in the subcounty. SAMPLE AND METHODS: School-based random cluster sample of 236 5-7-year-olds and 202 12-year-olds. Dental status and treatment need data were collected according to WHO Oral Health Surveys Basic Methods. Additional data for 12-year-olds included dental fluorosis using the Thylstrup and Fejerskov index (TFI), oral hygiene procedures and experience of oral pain in the previous month. RESULTS: In the 5-7-year-olds, mean dmft was 1.47 (50.8% dmft = 0). A total of 52.5% needed fillings and almost one third needed a tooth extracted. Among the 12-year-olds, mean DMFT was 0.64 (65.8% DMFT = 0), 28.5% had dental fluorosis and 6.7% had TFI > 2. Toothache in the previous four weeks was reported by 36.5%, 30.2% needed a filling and 6.4% needed one or more teeth extracted. CONCLUSIONS: Dental disease is a significant public health problem in this population. An efficient way to meet the needs of the children would be to increase the availability of fluoride toothpaste and to develop a service to provide treatment using Atraumatic Restorative Technique.