Assessment of periodontal status and treatment needs among 12 and 15 years old school children in udaipur, India

Abstract

To assess and compare the periodontal status and treatment needs among school children aged 12 and 15 years in public and private schools of Udaipur, India and to provide baseline data for planning and evaluation of oral health care promotion programmes. A cross-sectional descriptive survey. A survey was conducted on 900 school children aged 12 and 15 years in Udaipur. The data were collected by means of clinical examination using the CPITN index. Data was analysed using Pearson's Chi-square and student's t-test. Children aged 15 years had higher scores of healthy gingiva compared with 12 years old. Gender difference of females having better gingival health than males was seen in both age groups. Amongst the schools, children in private schools had good periodontal status in comparison to public schools. A statistically significant association between frequency of tooth brushing and CPITN scores was found among children of the 15 year old group. There is a need for a long term school oral health promotion program to sustain the healthy tissues of this growing Indian population.