Current status of burden of oral diseases among Chinese adolescents: evidence from the National Oral Health surveys.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases among Chinese adolescents kept changing in accordance with the development of the economy and urbanization. The burden of these two diseases, including DALYs, direct costs and indirect costs, could quantitatively assess health and economic loss in this population. However, the regional-level burden and economic costs were not yet clear.

METHODS

This study utilized GBD analytical protocols to quantify disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), direct costs and indirect costs, and socioeconomic disparities by sex and place of residence (urban / rural) in the burden of untreated dental caries of permanent teeth and periodontal diseases among Chinese adolescents aged 12-15 years. The study employed national survey data from the 3rd (2005) and 4th (2015) National Oral Health Surveys of China.

RESULTS

In the decade between 2005 and 2015, the number of DALYs due to untreated permanent caries decreased from 5344 to 4894. Concurrently, the direct costs increased from 1.53 billion to 1.61 billion Chinese Yuan (CNY). The indirect economic burdens increased threefold from CNY 80 million to 240 million. Conversely, periodontal diseases exhibited a 28.4% reduction in DALYs (81,622 to 58,427) and 29.1% reduction in direct costs (CNY 2.64 billion to 1.88 billion), whilst indirect costs escalated by 151% to CNY 2.86 billion. Despite a 12.7% decrease in the Chinese adolescent population, the burden of oral diseases per capita exhibited sustained growth across most indicators.

CONCLUSION

This study quantified the major oral disease burden among young adolescents in China, revealing that dental caries showed an increasing economic burden while periodontal diseases followed the demographic trend. The burden of oral diseases per capita exhibited sustained growth across most indicators, suggesting that targeted intervention strategies should be carefully considered in future policy-making processes for adolescents' oral health nationally.