Dental caries experience among 6-12 year old school children of Budgam district, Jammu and Kashmir state, India

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the c aries experience in 6 -12 ‑yearold schoolchildren in Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir state, India. Material & methods: This study was carried out in Budgam District of Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. A cluster sampling was done to collect the sample. Schools accessible and situated in the district wer e selected. Sample size of 453 school going childre n was obtained within the age group of 6-12 years from these schoo ls. DMFT/dmft index was used for recording dental caries. Results: The mean dmft of the school children was 1.355±1.79 which was lower than the mean DMFT 1.74 ±1.92 seen in the permanent dentition of the same childre n. In primary as well as permanent dentition the de cayed component remained higher in comparison to the missing and decayed components. It was also observed th at the females had lower caries experience in both the den titions as compared to boys. Conclusion: The study highlight the extent of dental disease in this community, whi ch reflects the high treatment needs that cannot be met by traditional ways in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India.