Oral health status in Sichuan Province: findings from the oral health survey of Sichuan, 2015–2016

• Published in: International journal of oral science 2017-03, Vol.9 (1), p.10-15
• Main Authors: Yin, Wei, Yang, Ying-Ming, Chen, Hong, Li, Xue, Wang, Zhuo, Cheng, Li, Yin, Qiu-Dan, Fang, Hong-Zhi, Fei, Wei, Mi, Fang-Lin, Nie, Min-Hai, Hu, Tao, Zhou, Xue-Dong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Child; Child, Preschool; China - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Health Surveys; Dentistry; DMF Index; Female; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Male; Medicine; Mouth Diseases - epidemiology; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Oral Health; Original; original-article; Orthopedics; Prevalence; Surgical Orthopedics
• ISSN: 1674-2818; 2049-3169
• DOI: 10.1038/ijos.2017.6

To investigate oral health status in the residents of Sichuan Province, southwest China, a cross-sectional study was performed using the latest Oral Health Survey Basic Methods recommended by the World Health Organization. A multistage stratified random cluster-sampling method was used to enroll participants from the following three groups: children aged 3–5 years, adolescents aged 12 years, and people aged 65–74 years. In these three groups, the mean numbers of teeth that were affected by caries were 3.28, 0.86 and 5.13, respectively, resulting in a prevalence of 63.47%, 37.20% and 83.20%, respectively. Relative to the high rate of decayed teeth, the prevalence of fillings was very low in all age groups (0.97%, 7.24% and 5.43%, respectively). In the 12-year-old adolescent group, only 3.61% had good pit and fissure sealing. In addition, the rate of dental fluorosis was 24.80%, and the Community Fluorosis Index value was 0.39. In the elder group, the community periodontal index was 2.92. The prevalence in the elderly of having lost at least one tooth was 75.54%. Additionally, 4.44% of these participants were edentulous. The incidence of dental prosthesis was 51.75%, the proportion with a removable partial denture, a fixed denture, full dentures, dental implants and an informal fixed bridge was 21.59%, 11.45%, 4.64%, 0 and 16.67%, respectively. In this study, 8.2% of the elderly participants were affected by different types of oral mucosal lesions. Among such lesions, recurrent aphthous ulcers were most prevalent (2.69%) and oral lichen planuses were second (1.6%). The conclusion presented in this survey is that oral diseases, especially dental caries and periodontal disease, are frequent and common in Sichuan province, China. Moreover, the treatment rate is very low, and primary prevention and treatment options are therefore urgently needed in this population. Oral health: Survey findings from Sichuan, China A survey of over 8 000 residents from Sichuan in China found evidence of poor oral health, especially dental caries and periodontal disease. The study, led by Tao Hu and Xuedong Zhou of Sichuan University, looked at teeth, gums and oral mucosa in three age groups: 3–5 years, 12 years, and 65–74 years. The examinations were performed using World Health Organization guidelines designed to promote international comparison. Despite significant improvements in recent years, oral disease in multiple forms was still highly prevalent in all age ranges, with rur