# Oral Health Status of Children in Strasbourg: An Epidemiological Study (2018–2022)

## TL;DR

A study in Strasbourg found that children's oral health improves with school-based prevention programs, but overall dental caries rates are rising, especially among disadvantaged groups.

## Contribution

The study provides updated epidemiological data on children's oral health in Strasbourg and highlights the role of socioeconomic and behavioral factors.

## Key findings

- Untreated dental caries increased slightly from 33% in 2018 to 35% in 2022.
- Children in disadvantaged neighborhoods had higher caries prevalence (43%) compared to others (27%).
- Oral health improved with age, but socioeconomic and hygiene factors remained strong predictors of dental caries.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
•Children participating in a school-based oral health prevention and screening program show progressive improvement in their oral health throughout their school years.•Children’s oral health seems to have been deteriorating for several years. Socioeconomic inequalities remain significant.

Children participating in a school-based oral health prevention and screening program show progressive improvement in their oral health throughout their school years.

Children’s oral health seems to have been deteriorating for several years. Socioeconomic inequalities remain significant.

What are the implications of the main findings?
•National programs should be implemented to prevent the deterioration of the children’s oral health and to gather data since no national study was performed since 2006.•Prevention programs in schools combining primary, secondary and tertiary prevention should be implemented.

National programs should be implemented to prevent the deterioration of the children’s oral health and to gather data since no national study was performed since 2006.

Prevention programs in schools combining primary, secondary and tertiary prevention should be implemented.

Background/Objectives: Dental caries prevalence remains high in France, but data are scarce. In Strasbourg, a local program aims at improving oral health of all school children, from primary to tertiary prevention. We evaluated the oral health of Strasbourg’s children over five repeated cross-sectional screenings. Methods: We analyzed 58 287 screenings of children from 1st to 5th grade from 2018 to 2022. The presence and number of carious lesions was the main variable studied. Results: Untreated dental caries were present among 34% of the children and slightly increased from 33% in 2018 to 35% in 2022 (p = 0.002). The mean number of decayed teeth was 0.85 ± 1.68 and 2.5 ± 2.04 among children with at least one. Dental caries was more prevalent among children in schools from socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (43% vs. 27%, p < 0.001), children from less advanced classes (27% in 5th grade vs. 37% in 1st grade, p < 0.001), and children with inadequate hygiene (72% vs. 28%, p < 0.001). The number of decayed teeth followed the same trend as the prevalence. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries diminishes throughout the schooling years. Socioeconomic and behavioral factors remain the major predictors of dental caries. A national study could help confirm if these trends are widespread in France.