Dental Caries Experience and Associated Factors Among 12-year-old Schoolchildren in East Jakarta, Indonesia

Oral health plays an important role in general health. Many studies have reported various risk factors that are associated with the incidence of dental caries. The oobjective of this study is to assess the prevalence of dental caries and analyze factors associated with dental caries experience among 12-years-old schoolchildren in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted examining 146 schoolchildren aged 12 years old. Dental caries experience was assessed using the DMF-T index. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure the risk factors related to dental caries. The dental caries prevalence was 71% with the mean DMF-T index of 2.27 ± 2.53. The highest occurrence of dental caries was in the lower first permanent molar. Dental visit within the last 12 months was associated with a lower caries risk (OR= 0.128; 95% CI, 0.054 – 0.303). The prevalence of dental caries experience among 12-year-old schoolchildren in Cilangkap, East Jakarta was high. Dental visit within the last 12 months was associated with dental caries.