Prevalence of Dental Health Problems among School going Children in Rural Areas of Thane District, Maharashtra

Background: Epidemiological studies are helpful in planning and implementing oral health programs in a given population. This initiative is a consequence of the absence of any information on any study being conducted in the past on the prevalence of dental diseases in the rural school going children of Thane district. Aims: The aims were to (1) assess the prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, caries and malocclusion in the school-going children of rural areas of district Thane, Maharashtra and (2) evaluate the pattern of above-mentioned diseases in different age groups and genders. Materials and Methods: A total of 638 school-going children comprising 282 boys and 356 girls were examined in the age groups of 4-7yrs, 8-12yrs and 13-16yrs. Results: The prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, caries and malocclusion was 86.7%, 2.2%, 79.6%, and 14.9% respectively. The difference between age groups for the prevalence of gingivitis was highly significant. A significant increase in the prevalence of malocclusion was observed with age. No significant difference was found among genders for the prevalence of malocclusion. The difference in fluorosis was insignificant between boys and girls. Conclusion: The data shows necessary dental health programs needs to be implemented to attain the required oral care among school children of rural areas of Thane district.