Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe dental caries experience among primary school children in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This was carried out to inform the development of an oral health strategic plan for the Dental Services Department, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Solomon Islands.
Methods: This cross-sectional oral health survey examined 547 primary school pupils (81.8% response rate) in 19 randomly selected public, church owned and private primary schools in Honiara city, Solomon Islands. Systematic sampling was employed to sample and recruit the participants. The World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form and approach was used to record the caries experience of the primary school pupils.
Results: A total of 547 primary school pupils were examined, of whom 40% were 6-year-olds and 60% were 12-year-olds. Caries experience among the 6-year-olds was very high, with a mean dmft of 4.8 (SD 4.1), and only 16.9% caries-free. Among the 12-year-olds, the mean DMFT was 1.3 (SD 2.0), with 50.9% caries-free. Considerable variation in caries prevalence and experience was observed among schools.
Conclusion: Dental caries experience among primary school pupils in Honiara, Solomon Islands mirrors the typical Pacific pattern of high deciduous dentition disease experience but lower rates in the permanent dentition, with marked variation among neighborhood schools.