Abstract
ABSTRACTAim: The aim of this study was to determine the oral hygiene facilitators and barriers for 10 years old Greek children, via a questionnaire and clinical examination.Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 266, 10 years old, children recruited from schools in 3 locations in Greece. Data were collected via questionnaires and clinical examination. Questionnaires referred to Children’s oral hygiene knowledge, behavior and attitude as well as parents’ oral hygiene behavior and educational level. Children were clinically examined by two calibrated pediatric dentists using a WHO probe and artificial light to assess dental plaque (hygiene index-HI), gingivitis (simplified gingival index-GIs) and dental caries (DMFT-BASCD criteria).Results: Regarding oral hygiene knowledge, although 80% of the children were literate of the proper means of oral hygiene, only 58.64% brushed their teeth twice daily and 36.84% used dental floss. Children’s oral hygiene knowledge was positively correlated with both parental brushing frequency (ρ = 0.175, p < 0.05) and educational level (ρ = -0.216, p < 0.05). Toothpaste use was reported by 92.11% of the children. Regarding Children’s attitude, 62.28% were concerned whether their teeth were clean, with girls showing greater concern than boys (p < 0.001). Their reported beliefs regarding brushing avoidance were boredom (84.06%), low oral health literacy (73.91%) and forgetfulness (56.52%).Conclusion: Oral hygiene facilitators were found to be the concern about how clean were their teeth, oral health literacy of both children and parents and toothpaste appeal to children. Oral hygiene barriers were Children’s boredom, low oral health literacy, forgetfulness and low socioeconomic level.How to cite this article: Angelopoulou M, Kavvadia K, Oulis C, Reppa C. Oral Hygiene Facilitators and Barriers in Greek 10 Years Old Schoolchildren. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(2):87-93.
Highlights
Oral hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent caries and periodontal disease.[1,2] Ideally brushing should be performed twice a day in order to maintain oral health.[1]
Regarding oral hygiene knowledge, 80% of the children were literate of the proper means of oral hygiene, only 58.64% brushed their teeth twice daily and 36.84% used dental floss
Toothpaste use was reported by 92.11% of the children
Summary
Oral hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent caries and periodontal disease.[1,2] Ideally brushing should be performed twice a day in order to maintain oral health.[1] many children globally brush less than once a day.[3,4,5] in Greece, results of a recent epidemiological survey showed that 68.7% of 12 years old children brush occasionally, 78,2% had average or poor oral hygiene while 41.5% had gingivitis.[6] The above findings show a necessity to define the facilitators and barriers of oral hygiene in order to motivate children and improve their oral health. The target group in these studies was greater than 10 years old and no data exist in younger children. Most studies focus on specific factors influencing the oral hygiene and do not investigate the variety of facilitators and barriers in primary schoolchildren
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