Dental caries experience in Croatian school children in Primorsko-Goranska county.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries as an infectious disease is still a major oral public health issue. As documented in some recent studies, it has been recognized as the most common chronic childhood disease. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate caries prevalence, DMFT and dmft scores, as opposed to caries free children at the age of 6 years from a well developed western region of Primorsko-Goranska county. The purpose was also to evaluate a Significant Caries Index (SiC) and a Restoration Index (RI) in the same study sample of 6 year olds. METHODS: Data for a sample of 1,825 (868 girls and 957 boys) children was collected and analyzed by using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U Tests. RESULTS: Results showed that the mean dmft was 4.68 +/- 4.19, and the mean DMFT was 0.22 +/- 0.69. D/d component constituted a major part of caries score (DMFT/dmft) in both primary and permanent dentitions in the population of 6 years old children. Caries prevalence was 74.5 in primary dentition and 11.9 in permanent dentition. Significant Caries Index value (SiC) was 0.66 for permanent and 9.6 for primary teeth, respectively. The Restoration Index (RI) was 20.1 for primary and 39.5 for permanent dentition. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study revealed that dental caries still appears to be quite a significant problem among 6 year olds. However, collected data, particularly considering the SiC Index, can be used for further planning of preventive and restorative dental treatments as well as setting up future goals for the prevention of dental caries in Croatian school children of Primorsko-Goranska county.

Parents' attitudes on sexual education--what and when?

This study aims to detect opinions about what and when should be talked about in sexual education in schools respecting the role of parents. This study was conducted in 23 elementary schools in the town Rijeka, Croatia from March to May 2010. The sample consisted of parents of sixth grade elementary school pupils. There were 1,673 respondents, divided in groups of mothers and fathers. Both groups had answered what is the majority of topics to be talked about in the higher grades of elementary school. In lower elementary school grades children should be taught about the structure and differences of male and female genitalia. Topics that most parents find inappropriate to be talked about in sexual education, are sexual satisfaction and pleasure, masturbation, pornography and prostitution (5.01-7.7%). Results of this study can help in creating sexual education programs in schools where parents are considered of being equal accomplices.