%A Sharva, Vijayta %A Khare, Pooja %A Reddy, Venugopal %A Jain, Manish %A Khare, Anshika %A Singh, Prakash %T Dental caries prevalence and treatment needs among 12- and 15-year-old school-going children of rural and Urban Areas of Bhopal District, India %9 Original Article %D 2017 %J Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry %R 10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_82_17 %P 340-343 %V 15 %N 4 %U 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 %8 October 1, 2017 %X 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. %0 Journal Article %I Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications %@ 2319-5932