Dental Caries among Adult Population of a Municipality: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Oral disease as a public health problem poses a serious burden globally. The most common oral disease affecting adults is dental caries followed by periodontal disease leading to tooth loss. Early detection of dental caries can help reduce the severity and prevent further complications. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of dental caries among adult population of a municipality. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adults attending five different dental camps in a municipality from 1 April 2022 to 2 June 2022. Ethical approval was obtained from Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 060-078/079). Convenience sampling method was used. The prevalence of dental caries was determined by dentition status adopted from basic oral health surveys recommended by World Health Organization. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. RESULTS: Among 239 adults, 138 (57.74%) (51.48-64, 95% Confidence Interval) had dental caries. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental caries among adults in the municipality was lower than in similar studies done in similar settings.