Association between clinical and subjective oral health status among schoolgoing children in South Bengaluru

Abstract

Introduction: A number of self-report measures have been developed that assess the subjective health status such as dental neglect; dental anxiety and oral health related quality of life. Aim: To access the association between clinical and subjective oral health status among school going children in south Bangalore. Methods: 300 completed questionnaires designed to measure oral health indicators were collected from both children (6-10 yrs) and parents. Caries was assessed using dmft index. Result: Out of 300 children examined 55.3% - girls 44.7% - boys. Children with infrequent brushing had more caries. 28% of parents monitored their children while 42% brushed on their own. More than half of the parents and children thought it was necessary to visit dentist frequently and oral health would affect general health. Conclusion: In our study dental self-report items showed high level concordance between child and parents and was found to be clinically valid.