Background: We aimed to assess the oral health status and risk factors for dental caries and periodontal disease\r\namong Sudanese adults resident in Khartoum State. To date, this information was not available to health policy\r\nplanners in Sudan.\r\nMethods: A descriptive population-based survey of Sudanese adults aged = 16 years was conducted. After\r\nstratified sampling, 1,888 adult patients from public dental hospitals and dental health centres scattered across\r\nKhartoum State, including different ethnic groups present in Sudan, were examined in 2009-10. Data were\r\ncollected using patient interviews and clinical examinations. Dental status was recorded using the DMFT index,\r\ncommunity periodontal index (CPI), and a validated tooth wear index.\r\nResults: Caries prevalence was high, with 87.7% of teeth examined having untreated decay. Periodontal disease\r\nincreased in extent and severity with age. For 25.8% of adults, tooth wear was mild; 8.7% had moderate and 1%\r\nsevere toothwear. Multivariate analysis revealed that decay was less prevalent in older age groups but more\r\nprevalent in southern tribes and frequent problem based attenders; western tribes and people with dry mouths\r\nwho presented with less than18 sound, untreated natural teeth (SUNT). Older age groups were more likely to\r\npresent with tooth wear; increasing age and gender were associated with having periodontal pocketing = 4 mm.\r\nConclusions: The prevalence of untreated caries and periodontal disease was high in this population. There\r\nappear to be some barriers to restorative dental care, with frequent use of dental extractions to treat caries and\r\nlimited use of restorative dentistry. Implementation of population-based strategies tailored to the circumstances of\r\nSudanese population is important to improve oral health status in Sudan.
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