A School Based Survey of Oral Health of Children

INTRODUCTION: Public health problems associated with various oral diseases are a major burden on countries all over the world. It is therefore important to take stock of them during childhood itself. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a school based study conducted as part of the annual medical and dental check-up of the students of the age group of 4-10 years. WHO technique of ‘Self-assessment of oral health through use of questionnaires’ was used for this study. RESULTS: Out of a total of 204 children, 98 were males while 106 were females. All the students used only toothbrush and toothpaste to clean their teeth. While all children did brush their teeth at least once a day, only some did so twice a day. A variable amount of time was spent by the children for brushing their teeth. Most children thought that the consequences of not cleaning the teeth everyday resulted in decay, followed by bad breath and gum disease.

DISCUSSION: In the present study, it was observed that all the students cleaned their teeth by using toothbrush and toothpaste, at least once a day, and that most of them were aware of the fact that too much of sweets and fizzy drinks are bad for their oral health. CONCLUSION: From this study we can conclude that regular dental surveys are essential not only to assess the oral health of the children but also to help initiate awareness campaigns targeted at a specific cohort of people.