Veerasamy, A.Kirk, R.Gage, J.2016-08-292016-08-292016Veerasamy, A., Kirk, R., Gage, J. (2016) Epidemiology of dental caries among adolescents in Tamil Nadu, India. International Dental Journal, (2016).http://hdl.handle.net/10092/12636Objective Economic and dietary changes in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have led to compromised oral health status of the adolescent population. Adequate epidemiological data are not available to address the prevention or treatment needs in this region of India. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence and severity of dental caries among adolescents of Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. Methods The study sample included 974 adolescent school students (12–15 years of age) from both rural and urban areas of Tamil Nadu, India. The decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index of these students was measured using the World Health Organization oral health survey method, in a quantitative cross-sectional study. Results The oral health survey indicated that the prevalence of dental caries among adolescents in rural and urban areas of Tamil Nadu was 61.4%, with an average DMFT score of 2.03. Multiple regression analyses indicated factors such as gender, mother's education, type of school and caste as significant predictors of dental caries. Conclusion Female gender, Scheduled Caste and Tribes attending public schools in rural areas were identified as the more vulnerable populations to be affected by dental caries. Oral health policies should be targeted to these adolescent populations in the Tamil Nadu region.en"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Veerasamy, A., Kirk, R., Gage, J. (2016) Epidemiology of dental caries among adolescents in Tamil Nadu, India. International Dental Journal, (2016), which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/idj.12216. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."Prevalence of dental cariesSeverity of dental cariesThanjavurChennaioral health surveyJournal ArticleField of Research::11 - Medical and Health Sciences::1105 - Dentistry::110599 - Dentistry not elsewhere classifiedhttps://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12216