Dental caries in the peruvian police population

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease that affects the general population. After reviewing the scientific literature, no studies were found on the index of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) in the Peruvian police population. The objective was to evaluate the DMFT index and severity level of the disease in police personnel of the Ancash region, Peru. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional prevalence study. The medical records of the police personnel in activity were reviewed and each subject was examined from May 2012 to May 2013. The study was authorized by the Director of the PNP-Huaraz Ancash Polyclinic as part of the activities of the civil SERUMS personnel in the area of odontology. The sample was census with 925 subjects. The data was systematized following the methodology recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The statistics were analyzed by Chi square test with significance p<0.05, Pearson test and ANOVA. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries in the police population was 73.4%. The DMFT index was 10.63 ± 4.96 (p<0.01). The severity of the disease in relation to age was 0.77 ± 0.41 with a high risk in this population. The DMFT index in females 128/925 and males 797/925 was 10.43 and 10.67 respectively. There is an inversely proportional relationship in the number of teeth filled with dental amalgam in policemen older than 35 years versus the number of teeth sealed with material other than dental amalgam in policemen under 35 years. Only 0.8% 7/925 had dental prostheses and 58.6% (542/925) of the subjects needed oral rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of dental caries is high, strategies are required to improve intervention in this sector, developing effective programs in oral health in the short, medium and long term. Key words:Dental caries severity, oral health, dental caries prevalence, peruvian police.