Oral Health Status of Children in Strasbourg: An Epidemiological Study (2018-2022).

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVES

Dental caries prevalence remains high in France, but data are scarce. In Strasbourg, a local program aims at improving oral health of all school children, from primary to tertiary prevention. We evaluated the oral health of Strasbourg's children over five repeated cross-sectional screenings.

METHODS

We analyzed 58 287 screenings of children from 1st to 5th grade from 2018 to 2022. The presence and number of carious lesions was the main variable studied.

RESULTS

Untreated dental caries were present among 34% of the children and slightly increased from 33% in 2018 to 35% in 2022 (p = 0.002). The mean number of decayed teeth was 0.85 ± 1.68 and 2.5 ± 2.04 among children with at least one. Dental caries was more prevalent among children in schools from socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (43% vs. 27%, p < 0.001), children from less advanced classes (27% in 5th grade vs. 37% in 1st grade, p < 0.001), and children with inadequate hygiene (72% vs. 28%, p < 0.001). The number of decayed teeth followed the same trend as the prevalence.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of dental caries diminishes throughout the schooling years. Socioeconomic and behavioral factors remain the major predictors of dental caries. A national study could help confirm if these trends are widespread in France.