Oral Health and Dental Management

The DMFT of 12-year-olds in the indigenous Ngobe-Bugle population compared to the DMFT of 12-yearolds in Panama

25^th World Congress on Dentistry and Oral Health

March 14-15, 2019 | London, UK

Hollie Hawrot, Shervin Shahsavari, Jessica Patel and Suraj Patel

Floating Doctors, Panama

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The Ngobe-Bugle populations, who are indigenous to Panama, are the largest of the three indigenous groups. Historically, they have had limited contact with dental professionals and therefore, have received minimal oral health education. Over recent years, refined sugar and sugar-containing products have become much more easily accessible to these populations. There is very limited research on the oral health of the Ngobe-Bugle populations and therefore the DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) of the paediatric population is unknown.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to calculate a DMFT rate for the paediatric patient???s in the Ngobe-Bugle population, and compare it to the DMFT rate of children in Panama as a whole.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Using standard WHO methodology, examinations for missing teeth and caries were completed by three dental professionals who calculated a DMFT rate. Data was collected retrospectively and patients from the age of 5-18 were included in the study. Unerupted teeth, congenitally missing teeth, supernumerary teeth and third molars were not included in the study. An average DMFT score was calculated for 12 year-olds and as an average for 5-18 year olds, and was compared to the DMFT rate of 12 year olds in Panama.

Findings: The DMFT rate of 12 year-olds in the Ngobe Bugle population was higher than the DMFT rate of 12 yearolds in Panama.

Biography :

Hollie Hawrot graduated from The University of Sheffield dental school in 2016. She was born and lives in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh after completing the MFDS in 2018. Hollie has completed her foundation training post, dental core training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and most recently worked for Floating Doctors as a lead dental provider, which is a non-profit organisation based in Panama.

E-mail: hollie.hawrot@gmail.com