Comparison of oral health status between children from North Korean Refugee and South Korean families using the DMFT/Dmft-index: Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: This study compared the oral health status of children from North Korean refugees(NKR) and South Korean(SK) families. Basic research design: The DMFT index of children from NKR families was compared to those from SK families. The NRK underwent oral examinations to determine the Decayed-Filled-Teeth (dft), Decayed Teeth (dt), and Filled Teeth (ft) index was determined through an oral examination. Also, DMFT index of children from SK families was confirmed using oral examination data from the 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES) and cross-sectional study using matched comparison groups. Clinical setting: The oral health status of a total of 304 childrens, including 154 NKR childrens and 154 SK children was assessed. The NKR childrens were recommended by the participants recruited using the snowball sampling method and SK childrens were matched 1:1 by sex and age with NK Childrens. NK childrens were Face-to-face surveys were conducted between January 2021 and December 2022. Data on SK children were obtained from the oral examination findings of the KNHANES. Results: NKR children had a higher incidence of dental caries than SK childrens (odds ratio = 2.68; 95% confidence interval = 1.34-5.37). NKR and SK children’s dft scores were 3.82 ± 2.98 and 2.29 ± 2.88, respectively, with a significant difference between groups (p = 0.026). Conclusions: All oral health indicators, including dental caries status, and DT of children from NKR families, were poorer than those of children from SK families. Therefore, oral health education is necessary to improve oral health and prevent oral diseases.