Abstract: PURPOSE: To investigate the oral condition of deaf-mute students in Jing 'an district, Shanghai, and to analyze caries related factors among deaf-mute students. METHODS: Using general survey method, 152 students aging from 9 to 18 years old from two schools in Jing 'an district of Shanghai underwent oral examinations and questionnaire survey. SPSS 22.0 software package was used for statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS: Among the 152 deaf-mute students, caries rate was 53.3%, DMFT index was 1.80±2.66, detection rate of gingival bleeding was 65.8%, detection rate of calculus was 69.7%, caries rate of first molar was 36.2%, and percentage of pit and fissure sealant was 0.6%. Among children aging 12-15 years old, the caries rate was 50.0%, DMFT index was 1.69±3.13, detection rate of gingival bleeding was 68.5%, and the detection rate of calculus was 70.4%, all were significantly higher than those of urban group aging 12-15 years old during the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey. According to logistic regression analysis, frequency of daily brushing（P=0.009）, dental surface of brushing（P<0.001）, brushing time（P=0.005）, frequency of drinking sweet drinks and carbonated drinks（P=0.003）, and the knowledge of oral health care（P=0.036） were all related factors affecting the occurrence of caries among deaf-mute students. CONCLUSIONS: For the prevention and control of caries in deaf-mute students, we should further strengthen oral health education and promote the implementation of intervention measures such as local fluoridation, pit and fissure sealant and early dental caries filling, so as to effectively control the occurrence and development of caries in deaf-mute students.

Key words: Deaf-mute students, Oral epidemiological investigation, Caries rate, Gingival bleeding, Calculus