Oral health status of primary dentition among 551 children aged 6 to 8 years in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

A cross-sectional study of 551 primary school children was conducted to assess their oral health status in the primary dentition. The participants were examined regarding their frequency of brushing, oral hygiene status, caries experience and treatment needs. Caries was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization [WHO] criteria. The Simplified Oral Hygiene index [OHI-S] was used to assess oral health status. A logistic regression analysis was utilized to detect the relative effects of gender and/or age on oral hygiene. It was found that there was a significant gender effect [p = 0.007] with males having worse oral hygiene than females. No age effect was detected [p = 0.600]. A difference In caries experience was found between rural and urban areas. The mean dft for rural subjects was 3.16 compared to a mean of 4.67 for the urban subjects. When analyzing the relative contribution of the different components of the scores, the dt component was found to be the major contributor to the total score. it was found also that the proportion of caries-free children declined with increasing age In both male and female groups. The results indicated a need for oral health promotion and preventive program for children aged 6-8 years old