Caries prevalence and treatment needs in 11-15 year old children of Belgaum city.

The present study was carried out on 2005 school going children between 11-15 years of age, studying at Belgaum city. The sample was selected by stratified random sampling method. The examination was done under natural light and caries was diagnosed according to WHO criteria (1987). The prevalence of dental caries in the present population was 45.12%. The mean DMFT was 1.18. Males and low socio-economic groups showed a higher prevalence, though the difference was not significant. Intraoral distribution of caries pattern has also been discussed. The treatment needs showed that 57.94% of affected teeth required single surface restorations. The needs for other treatment modalities have been discussed in relation to the dental caries prevalence. The results of this study call for more emphasis on restorative care for these children at primary level.