Prevalensi Karies pada Anak Tunarungu Usia 12-18 Tahun di Kota Denpasar

Background: Diffable children have a higher risk of developing caries compared to normal children. Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of caries in deaf children aged 12-18 years in Denpasar City. Method: This study design was cross-sectional analytic and the target population was deaf children in Denpasar City. The variables studied were sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and behavior of maintaining oral health and caries prevalence. Data were collected through interviews using questionnaires and intra-oral examinations. The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Result: The prevalence of caries in deaf children is 81.7%. There was a tendency for boys, age group 12-14 years, poor knowledge and poor behavior to experience dental caries. However, from the results of the analytical test, only gender showed a significant relationship with caries (boys had a risk of 1.3 times (CI95%=1.125-1.741) having caries compared to girls). Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries in deaf children is quite high, especially boys are more at risk than girls. Efforts are needed to increase knowledge and monitor the oral health behaviour of deaf children, especially boys, and to promote early detection of dental caries with support of parents, teachers, health services and the health office.