The Impact of Dental Neglect on Oral Health Among 16-30-Year-Olds in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health status is linked to oral health behaviour and dental neglect can be an important parameter for assessment of oral health status. Such evaluation will help in providing and planning appropriate health promotion activities to target population.
 Objective: To assess socio-demographic variations in Dental Neglect (DN) and to determine the association between DN and oral health.
 Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study done at dental hospital in Dhulikhel from September-November 2020. A sample of 327 aged 16-30 years were selected by convenience sampling technique. Demographic details along with DN were collected through the DN questionnaire. Both self-reported oral health and oral health status were assessed. Oral health status was determined by using the Oral Hygiene Index-simplified (OHI-S) and the Decayed Missing Filled index (DMFT).
 Results: Majority 170 (52%) of the sample were from high DN group. A total of 187 (57.2%) of the participants rated their oral health status as all right. Higher number of participants were seen in the fair group of oral hygiene status. Significant correlations were found between education and OHI-S scores. Mean DMFT score was 3.6±1.6 which had higher mean Decayed (D) component as compared to the Missing (M) and Filled (F) components in the index.
 Conclusion: Dental neglect is present among the study population and is associated with self-reported oral health status. Disparities were observed between the socio-demographic variables and DN. The DN Scale can be used in dental health promotion and also in evaluation of health promotion interventions.

Validity and Reliability of the Dental Neglect Scale among Romanian Adults

“…In fact, the data based on gender show that women are more oriented towards dental services [ 49 ] and have positive attitudes towards dental hygiene [ 50 ]. Another similar result with studies is the differentiation according to the level of education [ 9 , 13 , 18 ]. In this sample, it is verified that as the respondents have a high level of education, they also have high attitudes and behaviors regarding oral health.…”

“…= 3.59). The comparison with the average values of other studies, in which they vary between 10.18 and 19.71 [ 9 , 13 , 18 ], lead us to believe there is a relatively high level of dental care in the case of the analysed sample. The items with the highest average value are I consider my dental health to be important (M = 4.78; S.D.…”

“…Studies have demonstrated the association of high scores of DNS with the severity of tooth decay, missing teeth [ 14 , 15 , 16 ], few visits to the dentist [ 8 , 14 , 17 ], and the unsatisfactory assessment regarding one’s own dental health [ 6 ]. The average scores of the scale differ depending on how educated the population is: from 10.18 in the case of Indian teenagers [ 9 ] and 13.20 ± 3.80 in the case of American teenagers [ 8 ] to 15.61 ± 2.40 in the case of educated young Nepalese population [ 18 ] and 19.71 ± 3.94 in the case of young educated Indians [ 13 ]. The Cronbach coefficients obtained in various samples showed acceptable internal consistency: 0.71 [ 5 ], 0.60 [ 8 ], 0.65 and 0.57 [ 6 ].…”

“…The relation between dental neglect and the impact of dental issues on the quality of life proved to be significant since people with high dental neglect also have low life quality; in addition, self-reported dental health is considered to be weak in the case of the individuals who neglect their dental health [ 4 , 5 , 15 , 18 , 23 ].…”