Background: The Dai people, one of the ethnic minorities in China, have a population of 1,260,000. They have the\r\nsame origin as one of the main ethnic groups of Laos and Thailand. Most of the Dai live in Yunnan province, which\r\nis located in the less-developed southwestern part of China. This study aimed to describe the oral health status of\r\nDai preschool children in China and the factors that influence their oral health status.\r\nMethods: An oral health survey was performed between 2011 and 2012 to select Dai five-year-old children using\r\nmulti-stage stratified sampling in Yunnan. Their dental caries experience was measured using the ââ?¬Å?dmftââ?¬Â index, and\r\nsevere caries was assessed using the ââ?¬Å?paââ?¬Â index, which is modified from the ââ?¬Å?pufaââ?¬Â index. Oral hygiene status was\r\nassessed using the visual plaque index (VPI). A questionnaire to study the childrenââ?¬â?¢s socio-demographic background\r\nand oral health-related behaviours was completed by the childrenââ?¬â?¢s parents.\r\nResults: A total of 833 children were examined. Their caries prevalence was 89% and 49% of the children had\r\ncarious tooth with pulp involvement. The mean (SD) dmft score was 7.0 (5.3). Higher dmft scores were found\r\namong children who were girls, were currently bottle-fed, took daily sweet snacks, had higher VPI scores, and had\r\nvisited a dentist within the last year.\r\nConclusions: The caries prevalence and experience of the five-year-old Dai children in Yunnan, China was high,\r\nand almost half had severe caries. The caries experience was associated with gender, snack habits, dental visit\r\nhabits, and oral hygiene status.
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