Oral health behaviours in relation to caries and gingivitis in primary-school children in Tehran, 2008

Abstract

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine the prevalence of caries, severe caries and gingivitis in Tehran primary-school children and to analyse the relationship between children's oral hygiene habits and prevalence of these oral health diseases. Data were collected on the oral hygiene habits of 1271 Tehran schoolchildren (637 boys, 634 girls) aged 9-13 years. Clinical examinations were performed to determine the decayed, missed and filled teeth (DMFT) and the presence of gingivitis. Total DMFT ≥ 1 was observed in 83.3% of children; 55.5% had tDMFT ≥ 4 and 87.7% had ≥ 1 site affected by gingivitis. Dental visits of 48.2% of children were limited to toothache occasions and parents' lack of belief in the importance of oral health was the most commonly cited reason (P ≤ 0.05). The source of oral health education had the strongest independent association with severe dental caries (OR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.80-2.60); dental flossing frequency was the strongest predicting factor correlated with gingivitis (OR = 3.51; CI: 1.46-8.44). RÉSUMÉ Les objectifs de la présente étude transversale étaient de déterminer la prévalence des caries, des caries sévères et des gingivites chez des enfants du primaire à Téhéran et d'analyser la relation entre les habitudes d'hygiène bucco-dentaire des enfants et la prévalence de ces maladies bucco-dentaires. Des données sur les habitudes d'hygiène bucco-dentaire de 1 271 écoliers de Téhéran (637 garçons, 634 filles) âgés de 9 à 13 ans ont été recueillies. Des examens cliniques ont été réalisés afin de repérer les dents cariées, absentes ou obturées (CAO) et la présence de gingivite. L'indice CAO global était supérieur ou égal à 1 chez 83,3 % des enfants, supérieur ou égal à 4 chez 55,5 % des enfants, et 87,7 % d'entre eux avaient au moins un site affecté par une gingivite. Pour 48,2 % des enfants, les visites chez le dentiste se bornaient à la prise en charge des douleurs dentaires. La méconnaissance des parents sur l'importance de la santé bucco-dentaire était la raison la plus fréquemment citée (P ≤ 0,05). La source de l'éducation bucco-dentaire était le facteur indépendant le plus souvent associé aux caries dentaires sévères (OR = 2,35 ; IC à 95 % : 1,80-2,60) ; la fréquence de l'utilisation du fil dentaire était le facteur prédictif le plus important corrélé à une gingivite (OR = 3,51 ; IC : 1,44).

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Dental Caries in Primary Schoolchildren: An Iranian Setting

“…All these dissimilarities might expose girls to be more susceptible to dental caries presence than boys. is result agrees with the results of a national study by Jessri et al [13], studies by Heinrich-Weltzien et al [45] in the Philippines and Zhang et al [3] in Hong Kong, and a study by Laganà et al [46] in Albania.…”

“…According to World Health Organization reports, dental caries affects 60-90% of schoolchildren in both developing and developed countries [11,12]. Furthermore, studies have shown that the prevalence of dental caries was up to 83.3% among Middle-Eastern schoolchildren [13][14][15].…”

“…In Iran, a Middle-Eastern country, according to several studies, the prevalence of dental caries among children compared with the developed countries was high [13,25,26]. However, evidence on the prevalence of caries in the mixed dentition of children is scarce [25,27].…”

“…However, evidence on the prevalence of caries in the mixed dentition of children is scarce [25,27]. Additionally, in this country, no recent studies were found which simultaneously targeted the prevalence of tooth caries among primary schoolchildren in all age groups and in both urban and rural settings [13,27].…”

Prevalence and severity of gingivitis in school students aged 6–11 years in Tafelah Governorate, South Jordan: results of the survey executed by National Woman’s Health Care Center

“…In Kaunas a survey have shown that 59.6 % of school children aged 6–8 suffered of light gingivitis [20]. In Tehran it was shown that 87.7 % of schoolchildren aged 9–13 had gingivitis [21]. On the other hand a survey on periodontal status of Greek 12 year’s old population has shown that 41.5 % had bleeding on probing [22].…”