Dental Caries Experience in a Hungarian Police Student Population

I. Faragóa, G. Nagyb, S. Mártone, F. Túryd, E. Szabóf, M. Hopcraftg, M. Madlénac

aMiskolc Law Enforcement Secondary School, Miskolc,
bSection of Oral Diagnostics and
cDepartment of Pedodontics and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, and
dDepartment of Behavioural Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, and
eDepartment of Sociology and Social Policy and
fDivision of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary;
gMelbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Address of Corresponding Author

Caries Res 2012;46:95-101 (DOI: 10.1159/000336390)

  Key Words

Armed forcesCaries prevalenceDental attendanceDietary habitsOral healthOral hygiene habitsPolice studentsYoung adults

  Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the caries experience of Hungarian police students and to evaluate its relationship with nutrition, oral hygiene habits, behavioural and social factors. This representative cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted in a dental office of the Miskolc Law Enforcement Secondary School in Hungary in 2008. Altogether 792 Hungarian police student volunteers (male/female ratio was 90.3/9.7%, age: 20.4 ± 1.3 years, mean ± SD) participated in the study. Caries experience was measured using World Health Organization criteria and a validated questionnaire was used to collect social and oral health behaviour data. The DMFT number was 10.3 ± 5.7 (mean ± SD). Significant relationships were found between the DMFT value and the education of fathers, frequency of dental attendance, and use of dental floss (p < 0.05). D and T components of caries prevalence showed significant relationships with the frequency of dental attendance, while from the components the FT value showed statistically significant relationships with the education of fathers and the MT component with the use of dental floss (p < 0.05). Based on the results of this survey, strategies aiming at effective caries-preventive programmes should be established in police student populations ensuring the official basic requirements on their health condition and suitability for subsequent service. The published information can be used as a base for new strategies, and allows the evaluation of the effects of a carefully planned and implemented health care system.

Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Melinda Madléna, DMD, PhD
Department of Pedodontics and Orthodontics
Faculty of Dentistry, Semmelweis University
Szentkirályi u. 47, HU–1088 Budapest (Hungary)
Tel. +36 30 9855 300, E-Mail madlena@fok.usn.hu

  Article Information

No funding was received for this research. Part of this work was presented at the ORCA Congress 2009 (Budapest, Hungary) and the Biannual Meeting of Hungarian Pediatric Dentists and Orthodontists 2009 (Visegrad, Hungary).

Received: June 1, 2011
Accepted after revision: December 22, 2011
Published online: February 17, 2012
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 33

 Journal HomeJournal ContentGuidelines ??entry3a?? -->Editorial BoardAims and ScopeSubscriptionsDownload CitationCited in Web of Science®Recommend this
        



For non-native English speakers and international authors who would like assistance with their writing before submission, we suggest American Journal Experts for their scientific editing service.




 © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel