author = {Sharva, Vijayta. and Khare, Pooja. and Reddy, Venugopal. and Jain, Manish. and Khare, Anshika. and Singh, Prakash.}, title = {{Dental caries prevalence and treatment needs among 12- and 15-year-old school-going children of rural and Urban Areas of Bhopal District, India}}, journal ={Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry}, volume ={15}, number ={4}, pages = {340-343}, doi = {10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_82_17}, year = {2017}, abstract ={Introduction: Dental caries is highly prevalent among children and persists to be a significant public health problem worldwide. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs of 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren of Bhopal district and to compare the dental caries levels and treatment needs of government schoolchildren of urban and rural areas of Bhopal district. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 12- and 15-year-old urban and rural school-going children of Bhopal district. A total of 1100 schoolchildren were screened using a multistage sampling procedure. The children were examined according to the dentition status and treatment needs, WHO (modified) oral health assessment. Student's t-test was used for continuous variables and Chi-square test used for categorical data and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of dental caries at the age of 12 years was 33.5% and 26.5% at the age of 15 years. Dental caries was higher in urban schools as compared to rural schools. The maximum need was for one-surface restoration. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries at both the age groups was low. This suggested a need of dental health education program including proper oral hygiene instruction which helps children to improve positive dental attitude and behavior.}, URL ={https://journals.lww.com/aphd/pages/default.aspx/article.asp?issn=2319-5932;year=2017;volume=15;issue=4;spage=340;epage=343;aulast=Sharva;t=6}, eprint ={https://journals.lww.com/aphd/pages/default.aspx/article.asp?issn=2319-5932;year=2017;volume=15;issue=4;spage=340;epage=343;aulast=Sharva;t=6} }