Prevalence of dental caries among school children in Kulasekharam village: a correlated prevalence survey.

The prevalence of the most common dental disease, dental caries has been a subject of intense debate due to its importance in statistical measurement and for the clinical control of this disease. Kulasekharam, a small village, situated in Kanyakumari District has a large number of hospitals and a dental college; yet the people seem to have a very poor knowledge about dental health. This prompted us to do a study among school children in the age group of 6-12 years to assess the prevalence of dental caries and to increase their awareness toward oral health. This paper further strives to find any correlation between patient awareness and prevalence of dental decay. The dental caries prevalence was noted to be low compared to the WHO-recommended values. The fluoride level was also tested and was found to be far below the optimal level.