Oral Health Status of 12 and 15YearOld Students in Qatar: Findings From the National Oral Health Survey

Introduction: The national oral health surveyQatar (2011) was carried out to collect the baseline oral health information among youth. This article describes the oral health status of 12 and 15yearold students in Qatar. Methods: Crosssectional survey data were analyzed for 12 (N=1060) and 15 (N=1064) yearold students. Caries status was determined based on decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT)=0 (no caries) DMFT ≥1 (caries present). Mean indices among nationalities and sex were compared by Student’s t test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare means by the type of the school. Logistic regression was used to examine associations among variables. Results: About 53% (n=565) of 12yearold and 55% (n=589) of 15yearold had varying degrees of caries. The odds of caries were higher among girls vs. boys aged 12 years (OR [odds ratio] =1.3, P=0.05) and 15yearsold (OR=1.28, P=0.04). Qatari students had a higher mean DMFT value (1.3 ± 1.2) compared to nonQataris (0.82 ± 1.1). The public/independent school students had higher mean DMFT (1.31 ± 1.2) vs. other two school categories. Fifteenyearold students had lower odds (OR=0.81, P=0.02) of gingival bleeding and higher odds (OR=1.68, P lt;0.001) of calculus vs. 12yearold. Dental fluorosis was found among 15% of 12yearold and 16.6% of 15 yearold . The odds of fluorosis were higher (not statistically significant) among 15yearsold (OR=1.1, P=0.36). Lower odds of bleeding teeth (OR=0.81, P=0.02) and higher odds of calculus were found among 15yearold (OR=1.68, P lt;0.001) compared to 12yearold. Conclusion: The results provide directions to further strengthen the oral health strategies through various evidencebased interventions.