Prevalence of Dental Caries in Adults Living in Southern Nevada

Objective: The aim of this study was to observe tooth decay (untreated and restored lesions) to determine trends in dental caries prevalence in adults living in Southern Nevada.

Methods: Retrospective data collected by trained and calibrated dental examiners on 715 adults' ages 20 to 95 years of age, attending community-based oral cancer screenings from 2001 to 2007 was reviewed. Prevalence, defined as any caries experience including untreated (decayed teeth) and restored lesions (filled teeth)(dft), was computed. T-tests were computed to compare differences in prevalence among sex, ethnicity, access to care, and tobacco use.

Results: The sample was evenly divided between males (45.9%;n=366) and females (54.1%; n=384). The average ages of the sample were 42 for males and 46 for females. Thirty-two percent (n=229) were Hispanic. More than 60% did not have health insurance (n=435) and 73% reported they did not use tobacco (n=511). Females had significantly higher caries prevalence than males (p=0.001)(8.12 vs. 6.85 respectively). No significant differences were found in caries prevalence between ethnicity (p=0.061), access to care [insurance status](p=0.492) and between those who smoke and those who do not smoke (p=0.079).

Conclusions: It can be concluded that oral health in adults living in Southern Nevada, as measured by caries prevalence, is still a problem. Although significant differences between gender, similar prevalence rates occur between ethnicity, insurance status and self-reported tobacco use. The Fund for Healthy Nevada provided funding for this project.