Assessment of Significant Caries in 6- year- old Children in Kerman, 2011

Significant Caries Index (SiC) has been introduced by WHO for evaluation of caries status in different societies and assesses one third of individuals who have the highest score of DMFT/dmft. The aim of this study was to determine Significant Caries Index and dmft in 6-year-old children in Kerman.
This cross- sectional study was carried out on 300 children aged 6 years old that had been selected by multistage sampling in Kerman, Iran. Data were collected through a questionnaire (parents’ educational level, parents’ occupation, birth rank, number of children in family, tooth brushing frequency, use of fluoride mouthwash and dental visits frequency). Teeth were examined by dental mirror and according to WHO criteria for determining dmft. Data were analyzed in SPSS19 by using t-test and X² test.
Mean dmft index was 4.63 2.41 and mean SiC was 7.34 1.34. SiC was higher in boys, but without a significant difference. dmft showed significant difference with fathers’ educational level (P=0.028), frequency of tooth brushing (P=0.004) and using fluoride mouthwash (P=0.001). There was a significant relationship between SiC index and using fluoride mouthwash (P=0.014) and dental visits) P=0.041).
According to the results of the present study, dmft and SiC indices of 6-year old children in Kerman are high.