Caries and dental erosion: are Soroti children and adolescents at risk from increased soft-drink availability in Uganda?

Objective: An initial field study to investigate dental caries and dental erosion in children and adolescents in the community of Soroti, Uganda. Methods: A stratified two-stage cluster sample of 84 children (ages 8-10) and adolescents (ages 16-19) were recruited. A survey was undertaken to assess the state of determinants of oral health, oral hygiene practices, and soft-drink and sweetened-tea consumption. Intra-oral photographs were taken and reviewed to measure Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and dental erosion. Results: A significant difference was observed in DMFT between children and adolescents (3.7 ± 2.7 versus 2.1 ± 2.4 p=.02). A trend of lower erosion scores was seen in children compared to adolescents. Greater frequency of sweetened-tea consumption over soft-drinks was noted in both groups. Conclusion: This study did not reveal any relationship between different levels of cariogenic beverage consumption and DMFT or dental erosion in this sample group.