Buletin Kedokteran dan Kesehatan Prima
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): September

Dental caries and nutritional status among playgroup, kindergarten, and elementary school students: A study in Bina Talenta Graha School, Bekasi

Indriani Oktaria Irwan (Department of Oral Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)
Molek Molek (Department of Community Dental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Universitas Prima Indonesia)
Andy Setiawan (Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)
Carolina Paradhiva Maharani (Undergraduate Program in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)
Charin Sahira Aurelia (Undergraduate Program in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)
Michelle Justine Mauro (Undergraduate Program in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)
Michelle Angeline (Undergraduate Program in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Jul 2026

Abstract

Background: Dental caries remains a widespread public health issue in pediatric populations that can severely impair oral function, school performance, and overall growth. School-based dental and anthropometric screenings offer a critical pathway for early detection, oral health promotion, and longitudinal monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate dental caries prevalence, tooth-level disease severity, and nutritional status among playgroup (PG), kindergarten (KG), and elementary school (ES) students at Bina Talenta Graha School, Bekasi, Indonesia, and to compare oral health outcomes across a two-year outreach intervention (2023 vs. 2025). Methods: A two-phase repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2023 and December 2025 during community service programs. In the 2025 screening cohort ( ; , , ), student-level caries experience (presence of decayed [D], missing [M], and filled [F] teeth) and tooth-level counts were assessed by calibrated dental professionals. Anthropometric measurements ( ) were evaluated using Weight-for-Age (WFA for PG/KG) and BMI-for-Age (BAZ for ES) Z-scores based on WHO standards. Comparative longitudinal trends in student-level disease burden between 2023 and 2025 were analyzed descriptively. Results: In 2025, overall student-level caries prevalence was 59.1% ( ), missing teeth prevalence was 11.9% ( ), and filled teeth prevalence was 14.0% ( ). Caries prevalence peaked in kindergarten (67.3%), followed by playgroup (62.5%) and elementary school (55.4%). Missing teeth were most frequent in kindergarten (25.5%), whereas playgroup children had no missing or filled teeth. At the tooth level, 402 decayed teeth, 46 missing teeth, and 44 filled teeth were recorded (total 492 affected teeth; mean 2.55 affected teeth/child). Caries occurred across all nutritional categories, with the highest burden observed in normal-weight (70.8%) and overweight/obese (26.7%) children. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of students with untreated active caries decreased from 171 to 114 (a 33.3% reduction), and students with missing teeth dropped from 69 to 23 (a 66.7% reduction). Conclusion: Dental caries remains a major burden among young school children, particularly in kindergarten. Integrated school-based oral health promotion, structured toothbrushing programs, and parental involvement demonstrated notable reductions in active caries and premature tooth loss over two years.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

bulkesprima

Publisher

Subject

Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health

Description

Media publikasi ilmiah di bidang kedokteran dan kesehatan yang terbit dua kali dalam setahun yaitu pada bulan Maret dan September. Berisi tulisan hasil penelitian lapangan atau laboratorium maupun studi pustaka dari bidang ilmu seperti kedokteran klinis, kedokteran tropis, kedokteran gigi, biomedis, ...