Mapping the prevalence of deleterious oral habits among 10–16-year-old children in Karnataka: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Deleterious oral habits are possible causes of unbalanced functional forces on the developing dentition and are factors in the development of dento-skeletal abnormalities and hence possible etiologic factors in malocclusion. Therefore, recognition and elimination of deleterious oral habits is of utmost importance. Aim: To assess and district wise map the prevalence of deleterious oral habits among 10–16-year-old children in Karnataka. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional was conducted over a period of 2 years from January 2012 to January 2014. With 95% confidence level, the sample size of 9505 was estimated using population proportionate technique. The list of schools provided by the Karnataka Higher Primary and Secondary Education Board were stratified district wise, and then the required number of subjects was chosen by simple random sampling method. Oral habits were diagnosed using data gathered from a clinical examination of occlusion and extra-oral assessment of the face, combined with the history of habits from parents and guardians. Z-test for proportions was used to compare the prevalence between the genders. Results: The study demonstrated a low prevalence of 6% deleterious oral habits, and tongue thrusting was the most prevalent habit found in 2% of children. The highest prevalence of 12% was found in the district of Karwar. There was no significant difference of deleterious oral habits between the genders (P = 0.315). Conclusions: Highest prevalence of 12% was observed in Karwar district. Overall a low prevalence of 6% was found in Karnataka. 2% prevalence of tongue thrusting was the most prevalent habit.