Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status by Using Disclosing Agents to Schoolchildren from Rural Areas

Bianca Ioana Todor,Abel Emanuel Moca,Luminita Ligia Vaida,Bianca Negrutiu,Teodora Stefanescu,Ioana Scrobota,Alexandra Ioana Lucan

doi:10.37358/rc.19.8.7426

Abstract

Poor oral hygiene, in terms of gingival bleeding and increasing accumulation of plaque and calculus with increasing age, have been reported among school-aged children, in both developed- and developing countries, causing unsatisfactory oral health among children. The aim of this study was to determine oral hygiene status by calculating Oral Hygiene Index -Simplified (OHI-S), using disclosing agents, and to examine whether socio-economic and behavioral correlates of oral hygiene status, in school children from rural areas, N-W Romania. For the highlighting of the bacterial plaque were used two tone dental plaque disclosing agent, which contains Erythrosine and Brilliant Blue FCF. The OHI-S index is divided according to its values in several categories as follows: very good hygiene = OHI-S Index between 0 and 1; good hygiene = OHI-S Index between 1.1 and 2; unsatisfactory hygiene = OHI-S Index between 2.1 and 3; poor hygiene = Index OHI-S between 3.1 and 6. The average value of the OHI-S index in children in rural areas of N-W Romania was 1.78, a higher value than most of the values identified in the bibliographical references. Using disclosing agents may improve oral health status in schoolchildren, by increasing the awareness of their personal oral hygiene condition.

Highlights

Poor oral hygiene, in terms of gingival bleeding and increasing accumulation of plaque and calculus with increasing age, have been reported among school-aged children, in both developed- and developing countries, causing unsatisfactory oral health among children
The Oral Hygiene Index -Simplified (OHIS) changes significantly according to the level of education, all subgroups differ between them
Oral Hygiene Index -Simplified (OHI-S) decreases with the increasing level of education in both Romanians and Roma

Summary

Introduction

In terms of gingival bleeding and increasing accumulation of plaque and calculus with increasing age, have been reported among school-aged children, in both developed- and developing countries, causing unsatisfactory oral health among children. Oral health may be influenced by socio-cultural factors, inadequate oral habits, low level of hygiene knowledge, and lacking infrastructure that significantly affects screening of oral diseases, especially in rural areas [4]. Information on oral hygiene and periodontal health of children and adolescents, and oral health attitudes and behavior, especially in rural areas, is lacking, where mass oral health awareness has been reported to be low [1718].

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