Clinical Consequences of Untreated Dental Caries Evaluated with the Pulpal Involvement-Roots-Sepsis Index in the Primary Dentition of School Children from the Raipur and Durg Districts, Chhattisgarh State, India

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of the clinical consequences of untreated dental caries in primary dentition among 6- to 8-year-old children using the prs [pulpal involvement (p), roots (r) and sepsis (s)] index and record the distribution of prs among boys and girls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included a sample of 371 children aged 6–8 years with at least one carious primary molar tooth, who had been randomly selected from schools in the districts of Raipur and Durg, Chhattisgarh State, India. We recorded the presence of decayed, extracted and filled (i.e. def) teeth. The prevalence of the consequences of untreated dental caries was evaluated using the prs index. The data were statistically analyzed to express the prevalence of prs among boys and girls and the distribution of individual prs codes in the sample population. RESULTS: The prevalence of carious lesions was very high (87s%) and teeth with clinical consequences of untreated dental caries were found in 49.3s% of the children. The prs distribution in children who were 8 years old (40.9s%) was higher than in the 6-year-old children (25.6s%). In the group of 8-year-olds, the occurrence of prs was greater among the boys whereas in the 6- and 7-year-old group, it was greater among the girls. CONCLUSION: The prs index is a valuable tool for measuring the clinical consequences of untreated dental caries. It could be useful for epidemiological studies and provide relevant information regarding treatment needs.