Oral health status among 12- and 15-year-old children from government and private schools in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background:The assessment of oral health status of children in government and private schools provide data on the oral health status of children from different socio-economic background.Aim:The aim of the following study is to assess and to compare the oral hygiene status, gingival status and caries experience between children from government and private schools in Andhra Pradesh, India.Subjects and Methods:A combination of cluster and stratified random sampling was employed to select the study participants. Oral hygiene status, gingival status and caries experience was assessed and compared among 12- and 15-year-old children from three government and private schools each. The examination was carried out by three trained and calibrated investigators using a mouth mirror and explorer under natural daylight.Results:A total of 604 children (331 government and 273 private) were examined in the study. The mean oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) was higher among government school children (2.9 [1.1]) compared private school children (0.6 [0.4]). The mean gingival score and mean decayed missing filled teeth were also higher among government school children compared with private school children. A significantly higher number of children in the government schools had poor oral hygiene status, moderate to severe gingivitis and caries experience.Conclusion:The prevalence of oral diseases was relatively less among children from private schools in comparison with those from government schools. Hence, the children from government schools should be given the priority compared with private school children in any school dental health programs planned on a statewide basis.

The Effect of Parenting Practices on the Severity of Gingival Bleeding in Children

“…Using the CPI to assess gingival bleeding in this study, because it is easy to interpret and comparatively reliable, 24 a very high prevalence of gingival bleeding of 92.4% was found in the study population. This is in accordance with a study conducted in the Telangana state of India, where every child had gingival bleeding 25 . Data from a previous study by the authors, conducted in a North Indian child population, also observed a similar prevalence 26…”

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

“…Children from rural areas reported higher percentage of inadequate oral hygiene than children from urban areas [19]. Similar results were also demonstrated in public schools when compared to private schools [27] and in lower socio-economic background when compared to a higher socio- economic background [26]. As all the surveyed students were from public schools and almost of similar socio- economic background this factor was not investigated in our survey.…”

Comparative Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior toward Oral Health among Private, Public, and Rural Schoolchildren in Pune

“…18 Several researches have revealed that oral health of private schoolchildren is better than public school and rural school because of following reasons: private schoolchildren belong to higher socioeconomic status; have more affordability; parent's attitude; dental awareness, and better social support. 15,19 Similar to this study, another research showed a statistically significant difference in decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) scores between the private and government school children. 16 The prevalence of dental caries among 12-year-old children from private schools and government schools was 32.8 and 70.3% respectively.…”