English

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The importance of the subject in lives of the people and the fact that much of the oral problems could be prevented by adopting simple measures to maintain the hygiene in the oral cavity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of oral diseases, knowledge, and oral hygiene practices including health care seeking behavior, proper diet and oral habits for a healthy mouth of school children in Bijapur using a questionnaire and oral examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects for this study were randomly selected from three schools of Bijapur in the age group of 7-12 years. A total of 300 children were screened with the help of predesigned questionnaire and scored in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. RESULTS: Out of 300 students 37.33% of the children having oral problems belonged to the age group of ten. Out of 300 students 18% had carious teeth. Out of 300 students 67.67% brushed their teeth once a day. Out of 300 students 75.33% brushed their teeth in horizontal strokes only. A significant relationship was found between the frequency of brushing and the oral problems faced by the students. Chi-square test also showed a significant relationship between the type of strokes and the oral problems faced by the students. Out of 235 students who having oral problems, 80.43% did not visit the dentist for regular check-ups. CONCLUSION: The oral hygiene of school children in Bijapur was poor with oral diseases like discolored teeth, caries, and bad breaths, bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and malposition. A high prevalence of discolored teeth and caries shows a lack of established oral hygiene practices. A comprehensive community-focused oral health care intervention that includes oral health education in homes and the strengthening of school health programme is needed to improve the oral health status of children in Bijapur.