ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the oral hygiene level and periodontal condition of adolescents aged 15-19 years and socioeconomic factors. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study with 630 adolescents from public schools randomly selected in the city of Campina Grande, Brazil. For data collection, a form containing socioeconomic variables and those related to oral hygiene was used. The oral hygiene level was measured through the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and periodontal condition was evaluated by the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using the chi-square test, adopting significance level of 5%. Results: Adolescents were mostly females (59.5%), aged 16 years (32.4%), non-white (77.8%), with family income lower than US $ 612.00 (55.1%), with parental schooling of up to high school (50%). Periodontal condition showed no significant association with any of the socioeconomic factors (p> 0.05). All participants reported using toothbrush; however, the control of interproximal plaque with flossing was reported by only 44.1%, being higher among females (p = 0.028), and its use has been associated with periodontal status (p = 0.026). The oral hygiene level was satisfactory for 59.7% of adolescents, while CPI showed that only 1.6% of them had healthy periodontium and gingival bleeding (34.4%) and presence of dental calculus (37, 8%) were the most prevalent alterations. Conclusion: Adolescents showed satisfactory oral hygiene condition; however, there was a high prevalence of gingival bleeding and dental calculus. Periodontal condition was associated with flossing; however, association with socioeconomic factors was not observed.