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prevalence of periodontal dlseases In school children vaned from 28.0% to 41 7%
(Pandit et a1..1986; Goyal et a1.,1994).
Comparison of prevalence and severity
between wuntries is difficult because of different diagnostic uiteria and methods of
assessing periodontal disease (WH0,1978).
fl Dental caries
WHO has set a global indicator for oral health status as an average of not more than
three decayed, missing (on account of caries) filled permanent teeth (DMFT) at the age
of 12 years (Goyal et a1.,1994). Dental caries is widely prevalent all over the globe and
the prevalence in school children in lndia showed a variat~on in different parts between
16.5% and 54.0% as shown in Table 5.4 (Rao and Bharambe, 1993; Gathwala, 1993).
The d~fference In the prevalence rates could be attributed to differences in the d~etary
pattern and oral cleaning habits.
Lq) Iodine deficienc~
Iodine deficiency is a public health problem in 95 countries worldw~de
(Bhaskaram,l995). The prevalence of goiter in school age children in different parts of
lndia ranged from 3.0% to 70.0% as shown in Table 5.5. A high prevalence of goiter
and cretinism was found in a broad Himalayan ana sub-Himalayan goiter belt from
Jammu and Kashmir in the North to Arunachal Pradesh in the East. A high incidence of
goiter has also been rewrded in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Mizoram and Sikkim.
(Bhaskaram.1995). In India, no state is free from iodine deficiency. Though goiter is not
mdely prevalent in Tamil Nadu, it has been found endemic in some districts (Pandav
and Anand,l995). The overall prevalence of goiter in lndia is 21.0%. As a measure to
Wntrol goiter, lndia has adopted the strategy of "Universal iodization of Salt by 1995