Status of Dental Caries and Its Association with Oral Hygiene Practices among School-going Children of Rural and Urban Areas in Kamrup District of Assam

Abstract

A bstract Aim and objective The study aimed to assess and compare the prevalence of dental caries with its association with oral hygiene practices among 13–14 years old schoolchildren in urban and rural areas in Kamrup Metropolitan (M) District, Assam. Materials and methods A total of 1,501 schoolchildren in the age group of 13–14 years were included in the study and dental caries was recorded from decayed missing filled teeth (DMFT)/deft index as described by World Health Organization (WHO) (1997). The children were asked to fill in the basic information in the proforma by themselves. The statistical tests used in this study were unpaired t -test, Chi-square test, and one-way ANOVA test to compare the DMFT among the different age groups, gender, and location. Results A statistically significant difference was found in the prevalence of the decayed (D) component between the 14 years old (33.9%) and the 13 years old (28.5%) age groups and a highly statistical difference was found between the male (27.9%) and the female (35.7%) population. However, the prevalence of decayed components for the rural (30.1%) and the urban (33.1%) population was not statistically significant. Conclusion The overall prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren of Kamrup (Metropolitan) District was 33.6%. C linical S ignificance Dental caries is a major public dental health problem; hence, an active and effective preventive program for dental care is needed for the child population in the area. How to cite this article Doley S, Srivastava M, Piplani A, et al. Status of Dental Caries and Its Association with Oral Hygiene Practices among School-going Children of Rural and Urban Areas in Kamrup District of Assam. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(2):182-186.

Cost-effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses of fluoride varnish for caries prevention in Guangxi, China

“…The essential role of FPMs in absorbing occlusal forces and forming the foundation of adult dentition has led to increasing concerns about the high incidence of caries in these teeth. This situation is further aggravated in rural areas, where economic challenges and limited access to dental care further compromise oral health outcomes [ 3 , 6 ]. A survey of health institutions in Guangxi revealed a continued shortage of dental human resources, with many township hospitals lacking dental departments or specialists [ 7 ].…”