Oral Health Related Behaviors in Relation to DMFT Indexes of Teenagers in an Urban Area of North-West Poland-Dental Caries Is Still a Common Problem.

Marta Milona,Karolina Kłoda,Tomasz Olszowski,Joanna Janiszewska-Olszowska,Monika Szmidt

doi:10.3390/ijerph18052333

Marta Milona, Karolina Kłoda + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052333

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Abstract

Caries has a negative influence on health and is still a public health problem among children and adolescents in Poland. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of dietary habits, oral hygiene behaviors and the frequency of usage of dental services with the dental caries index in teenagers in North-West Poland. The study enrolled 264 children (147M/117F) aged 15. Participants filled out a questionnaire regarding age, sex, frequency of visits to the dentist, dietary habits and oral hygiene behaviors, and the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth Index (DMFT) was calculated. Caries was found in 88.6% of subjects. The lower or no caries experience group (DMFT ≤ 5) comprised of 180 subjects, while higher caries experience (DMFT > 5) was found in 84 teenagers and was significantly inversely associated with tooth brushing after the last meal (OR = 0.45; 95% CI:0.21–0.97; p = 0.04) and the daily use of dental floss (OR = 0.12; 95% CI:0.01–0.92; p = 0.04). There is an emerging need for the implementation of effective caries prevention and recovery programs in Poland. Health promotion focusing on oral hygiene behaviors should be disseminated more widely because lower caries experience was demonstrated in teenagers declaring healthy oral habits. Another important need is the development of multi-sectorial actions aiming at the improvement of dietary habits.

Highlights

Caries is the most prevalent disease amongst children and adolescents, which has a negative influence on health [1]
The aim of the present study was to analyze the association of dietary habits, oral hygiene behaviors and the frequency of usage of dental services with the dental caries index in teenagers in North-West Poland
This study focused on the association of dietary habits, oral hygiene behaviors and the frequency of usage of dental services with the dental caries index in teenagers inhabiting

Summary

Introduction

Caries is the most prevalent disease amongst children and adolescents, which has a negative influence on health [1]. It is regarded to have a complex nature with an important role of the biofilm and behavioral as well as with socio-economic factors (or confounders) which influence the likelihood for lesion development [2]. This multifactorial nature requires the implementation of effective preventive measures at social, school, family, individual and population levels [3]. Gingival diseases and periodontal diseases are chronic and occur commonly in children, but are preventable [4,5] These conditions are more prevalent within marginalized populations and disadvantaged communities [6]. The frequent consumption of products containing sugars, especially between meals, contributes to the increase in caries prevalence, in people with poor oral hygiene [7,8,9]

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