{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T15:06:29Z","timestamp":1780499189083,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780444800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oral Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To determine the prevalence of dental caries and analyze associated factors among children aged 6 to 12 years in Conakry, Guinea.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study was conducted on 869 children in Conakry, Guinea, from July to December 2023. Sociodemographic characteristics of children and their caregivers were evaluated. The DMFT index was used to measure caries prevalence. Explanatory variables included age, sex, education, district of residence, oral hygiene (OHI-S), gingival inflammation, orthodontic anomalies, and brushing habits. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with caries prevalence.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Among 869 children, 72.8% had dental caries (DMFT &amp;gt; 0) and 27.2% were caries-free. The mean DMFT score was 2.24\u2009\u00b1\u20091.96. In multivariable analysis, four factors were independently associated with dental caries: age group 10\u201312 years (aOR=3.44; 95% CI: 2.41\u20134.90;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001), poor oral hygiene as assessed by OHI-S (aOR=1.54; 95% CI: 1.10\u20132.16;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.013), gingival inflammation (aOR=1.85; 95% CI: 1.16\u20132.96;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.010), and use of non-standard brushing materials (aOR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.00\u20132.23;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.050).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study found a high prevalence of dental caries among children in urban Conakry, Guinea, driven by behavioral and clinical factors. Age group, poor oral hygiene, and gingival inflammation were identified as the main independent risk factors, with children aged 10\u201312 years being particularly vulnerable. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including school-based oral health education and improved access to affordable dental care to address this significant health burden.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/froh.2026.1700504","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T14:13:23Z","timestamp":1780496003000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Dental caries and associated factors: prevalence among children aged 6 to 12 years in 2023 in the city of Conakry, Guinea"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Aly Badara","family":"Nabe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Gamal Abdel Nasser University","place":["Conakry, Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Younoussa","family":"Sylla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Health Promotion Service, Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene","place":["Conakry, Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aly Badara","family":"Toure","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry","place":["Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Foromo Timothee","family":"Beavogui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry","place":["Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sidikiba","family":"Sidibe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry","place":["Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Soriba","family":"Camara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry","place":["Guinea"]},{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Gamal Abdel Nasser University","place":["Conakry, Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maladho","family":"Diaby","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guin\u00e9e","place":["Conakry, Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Castro Gb\u00eam\u00eamali","family":"Hounmenou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry","place":["Guinea"]},{"name":"D\u00e9partement Informatique, Universit\u00e9 de Lab\u00e9","place":["Lab\u00e9, Guinea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean Claude","family":"Guinan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, F\u00e9lix Houphou\u00ebt Boigny University","place":["Abidjan, C\u00f4te d'Ivoire"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandre","family":"Delamou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Center of Excellence for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (CEA-PCMT), Gamal Abdel Nasser University of 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