Effect assessment of caries management by risk assessment in children in the Minhang district of Shanghai

Abstract

Objective To assess the effect of caries management based on risk assessment in children and to provide the basis for the government to develop strategies to prevent and treat oral diseases. Methods From March 2018 to March 2019, 512 3-year-old children and 502 6-year-old children were selected by cluster sampling from kindergartens and primary schools, respectively, in the Minhang district of Shanghai, and oral examinations and questionnaires were carried out to assess baseline status. Then, the children were divided into 3 groups, including low-, middle- and high-risk groups, according to caries risk assessment. In each caries risk group, the children were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental groups were managed by risk assessment, and the control groups were provided basic oral public health services by the Shanghai government. The effect of caries prevention was evaluated 12 months later. Results Among the children with a high risk of caries, the incidence of caries was 51.22% in the 3-year-old control group, 34.17% in the experimental group, 51.27% in the 6-year-old control group and 33.15% in the experimental group, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Among the children with a middle risk of caries, the incidence of caries was 38.71% in the 3-year-old control group and 7.32% in the experimental group, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in caries incidence between the control group and the experimental group for the children with low risk in the 3-year-old or 6-year-old groups and middle risk caries risk in the 6-year-old group. Both 3-year-old and 6-year-old children in the experimental group had a lower risk of caries than those in the observation group in 2019. Conclusion The caries prevention effect is remarkable in high-risk children, and caries management by risk assessment is probably recommended for children with high caries risk.

Keywords

• children
• caries incidence
• caries prevalence
• risk assessment
• grading management
• prospective study
• oral health education