Children In Chennai Research Articles

Oral health awareness and oral hygiene status of 12- and 15-year-old children in Chennai

Background: Oral diseases can be considered as a public health problem due to their high prevalence and significant social impact. Aim: This study aimed to assess dental knowledge, oral hygiene, oral hygiene practices, and eating habits among 12- and 15-year-old children in Chennai and to correlate the level of oral hygiene with oral hygiene practices. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1600 children from various schools in Chennai. Simple random sampling methodology was used to select the schools from all the four zones. The methodology included a close-ended questionnaire on oral health awareness and recording of Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (Greene and Vermillion, 1964). The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 16. Student's t-test and analysis of variance were used for the comparison of two and more than two groups, respectively, followed by post hoc test. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find the correlation between two or more variables. The level of significance was set at P

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Reviewed by: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman Karen Coats Venkatraman, Padma The Bridge Home. Paulsen/Penguin, 2019 [208p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3811-2 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3812-9 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-7 Viji has grown up watching her father beat her mother, but when he turns his hand to her and her intellectually disabled sister, Rukku, she decides it’s time for them to go. They leave their small Indian village to join the ranks of homeless children in Chennai, where they team up with two boys, Muthu and Arul, to become ragpickers in the enormous trash heaps around the city. Unfortunately, the girls attract the attention of some lecherous men, and they have to leave their home under the bridge for a mosquito-infested graveyard, where both Rukku and Muthu contract dengue fever. While their story is almost unbearably tragic, Viji narrates it with a tone of pragmatic determination and wistful hope. She writes the tale in retrospect to Rukku, which gives a subtle hint about Rukka’s fate; her account highlights Rukku’s value to the group of children, which becomes a committed, compassionate, and sometimes even playful family. An author’s note attests to the reality of all of the situations described in the book as having been drawn from first-person accounts; the tenderness of Viji’s love for her sister and her new “brothers” will break hearts and inspire activist longings. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

ABO incompatible kidney transplantation: the Saudi experience.

Although the outcomes of ABO-incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplant recipients are quite favorable, these patients are at increased risk of early antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and graft loss. Some studies have also shown high mortality in the ABOi group mainly due to increased risk of infections. The AMR rates have been reported anywhere from <10% to >50% in the literature. The outcomes of the ABOi kidney transplants in the Saudi population are not known. In this study, we aimed to determine the graft and patient survival in ABOi kidney transplant recipients in the Saudi population. We included all adult patients who underwent ABOi transplantation between 2007 and 2016. All patients received rituximab, therapeutic plasma exchange, thymoglobulin, intravenous antibiotics, and intravenous immunoglobulin. The maintenance immunosuppression was prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus. The data were collected from a prospectively maintained database. A total of 77 patients were included in the study. The most common blood group mismatch was A to O (44.2%), followed by B to O (26.0%) and A to B (16.9%). In the 1st year, 17% of patients developed acute cellular rejection and AMR occurred in 7.8% of patients. Two patients were diagnosed with BK nephropathy. In the 1st year, urinary tract infection occurred in 25 (32.5%) patients. No patient was diagnosed severe viral or fungal infection. In the 1st year, four grafts were lost (graft survival of 94.8%); all grafts were lost within two weeks, three due to AMR and one due to technical reason. One year patient survival was 100%. In this study of ABOi kidney transplant recipients, we observed low risks of infectious complications with excellent patient and graft survival. Our immunosuppressive protocol can be considered safe.

Detection and molecular characterization of uncommon rotavirus group A genotype G12 among hospitalized children in Chennai.

Arun P, Krishnasami K, Gunasekeran P, Fathima G, Padmanabhan V. Detection and molecular characterization of uncommon rotavirus group A genotype G12 among hospitalized children in Chennai. Turk J Pediatr 2019; 61: 209-216. Human group A (RVAs) possess genetic diversity and often newer RVA strains have been reported frequently with different G and P combinations worldwide. As the disease burden is more common in low income countries including India, monitoring and detection of the circulating strains of rotavirus needs to be monitored to understand the genetic diversity of the strains which evolve over time. This study was an attempt to provide data on rotavirus gastroenteritis prevalence in and around Chennai Tamilnadu-South India during the pre-vaccination era. Stool samples were collected and tested from 401 children less than five years of age admitted to hospitals with acute gastroenteritis. The samples were subjected to amplification for VP7 and VP4 genes by using consensus primers, followed by semi-nested type-specific multiplex PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of VP7 genes of G12 were carried out and the variations between strains isolated globally were documented. Rotavirus was detected in 167 (41.64%) samples and five were found to be the uncommon G12P[6] genotype (2.99%) tested by RT-PCR followed by G1P[8], G9P[4], G9 with P untypable and G3P[8] and combinations of G2G9P[6] and G9G2P[11] with few strains untypable. In this study we highlight the occurrence of uncommon G12P[6] strain of rotavirus infection in the community. Since rotavirus is transmitted through oral-fecal route and monitoring of environmental cleanliness is mandatory to cease the spread of this deadliest viral agent to achieve our MDG-IV. Covering single genotype will have to be modified with respect to the circulating stains.

Children in the 2015 South Indian floods: community members’ views

ABSTRACTLittle is known about children’s experiences and involvement in disaster preparation and recovery, in particular in low- and middle-income countries. Eliciting community members’ perspectives on the 2015 floods in Tamil Nadu, India, may generate useful insights for improving services in low-resource settings. This qualitative study aimed to understand how children in Chennai experienced the floods, as reported by the adults in their community, and to explore children’s involvement in disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts as reported from the adults’ perspective. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews (N = 48) with family members (n = 36), and with staff of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (n = 12) who actively participated in relief and recovery efforts. We also conducted two focus group discussions (n = 14) with NGO staff about a year after the 2015 South Indian floods in Chennai, India. Six broad themes regarding children’s experiences and behaviours during and after the floods emerged: (1) unexpectedness of the floods; (2) children’s safety – barriers and facilitators; (3) parents’ reactions – helplessness, fear and pride; (4) children’s reactions – helping hands, fun and fear; (5) barriers to a return to ‘normal’; and (6) a determination to be prepared for next time. Children and families were deeply impacted by the floods, in part owing to a lack of preparation, as perceived by the study participants. It was also clear from the data analysis that caste and socioeconomic status played an important role in the families’ ability to evacuate safely. Helplessness on the part of the parents was apparent, as was children’s concern over recurrence of the flood. Similarly, gender appeared to affect child safety, recovery and other outcomes such as continued education. Priorities for future efforts involve the development and evaluation of child-centred education about flood awareness, child participation and safety.

Comorbidity &amp; socioeconomic status associated with attention deficit hyperactive disorder

Aims &amp; Objectives: (1) To find out the prevalence of ADHD in urban primary school children (2)To find out the presence of any co-morbid disorders associated with ADHD. Settings and design: This is a cross sectional study of school children selected from 15 different Govt. Schools nearby Govt. Royapettah Hospital, attached to Govt. Kilpauk medical college, Chennai. Material &amp; Methods: 1000 children aged between 5 and 11 years were randomly selected from 15 different schools in Chennai. The presence of ADHD was then assessed by using Vanderbilt assessment scale Teacher’s version by their class teachers. Those children screened positive were verified and reassessed for the presence of any comorbid factors by using Child Behavioural Checklist (CBCL) scale. All children screened positive were subjected to psychiatrist evaluation. Results: The prevalence of ADHD among urban primary school children in Chennai, Tamilnadu was found to be 9.67%. Poor academic performance was the most common associated comorbid condition (18.75%), followed by poor social behaviour (17.7%). Conclusion: The present study shows Poor academic performance was the most common associated comorbid conditions, followed by poor social behaviour.

Shape your breakfast: Breakfast skipping as a risk correlate of Obesity among school children in chennai

Shape your breakfast: Breakfast skipping as a risk correlate of Obesity among school children in chennai

Prevalence of common dental diseases and oral hygiene practices among orphanage children in Chennai, South India-health policy impli-cations

Background: Since children form a vulnerable group for oral diseases, this study was undertaken to understand the prevalence of common oral diseases and the oral hygiene practices among children in orphanages in Chennai. Materials &amp; Methods: 393 children were examined from randomly selected Or-phanages in South Chennai for prevalence of dental caries and gingival disease. The severity was deter-mined by DMFT (Decayed missing Filled Index) / deft and gingival index of Loe and Sillness. The difference in disease pattern was observed in both male and female children separately and also in (3-6) and (7-12) years age group. The children were also assessed on oral hygiene practices. Results: Overall 73.3% and 66.66% of the children suffer from Dental Caries and gingival disease respectively. In (3-12) year age group, the prevalence of Dental caries was proportionately high in male children (80% v/s 68%: p&lt;0.001). The severity of dental caries was also high in male children (DMFT /deft scores – 2.08 among males &amp; 1.91 among females), however gingival index showed a significant difference between (3-6) and (7-12) years age group (p&lt;0.001). There is a fair positive correlation between DMFT/deft score and gingival index score (r= 0.45, p=0.001). The number of times teeth brushed was statistically significant in specific age group and gender (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates the need for enforcing oral hygiene practices and timely intervention for treatment of oral diseases for children in orphanages. The overall vulnerability of children in (7-12) age group for oral diseases calls for attention of the caretakers. Keywords: Caries; gingivitis; DMFT; deft; oral hygiene Practice

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers regarding Oral Hygiene of Primary School children in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

IntroductionChildren depend on their parents and caretakers for maintenance of their oral health. Parents play a major role in both preventive and treatment regime in these children. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the influence of parental education on knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers regarding oral health of primary schoolchildren in Chennai.Materials and methodsA 15-item self-administered questionnaire was used among 465 parents of preschool children in Chennai, of which 432 mothers returned the filled questionnaire. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using frequency of responses and chi-square test (p < 0.01). Data were analyzed using statistical package.ResultsOf the 432 mothers who participated in the study, 150 (35%) have studied up to school level and 282 (65%) have completed diploma/degree. The knowledge of mothers regarding the knowledge of importance of oral health for general health is appreciable, but the awareness of proper brushing habit, treatment of caries, and importance of dental visits is less in mothers who have school education when compared with graduate mothers.ConclusionMothers who are graduates are more aware of the importance of oral health in children, treatment of dental caries, and brushing technique than mothers with school education. Hence, it is essential that government and health care providers impart oral health knowledge to mothers, as they are the role-models for their children.How to cite this article: Gurunathan D, Moses J, Arunachalam SK. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers regarding Oral Hygiene of Primary School children in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(4):338-343.

Prevalence of Group a Streptococcal Infection among Healthy School Children in Chennai

Prevalence of Group a <i>Streptococcal</i> Infection among Healthy School Children in Chennai

Prevalence of Primate and Anterior Spacing for Primary dentition in 3 to 6 year old children in Chennai

Prevalence of Primate and Anterior Spacing for Primary dentition in 3 to 6 year old children in Chennai

Television-Viewing Habits Causes Sleeping Disorder among School Children in Chennai

To find the relationship between specific television-viewing habits and both sleep habits and sleep disturbances in school children. Methods. The parents of 295 children in grades kindergarten through fourth grade in three public elementary schools completed two retrospective survey questionnaires, one assessing their children's sleep behaviours and the other examining television-viewing habits of both the child and the family. Sleep domains assessed included bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, anxiety around sleep, parasomnias, night waking, and daytime sleepiness. Teachers from all three schools also completed daytime sleepiness questionnaires (N =202) for the sample.

Outcome of acute renal failure in children in Chennai, India

Background: Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is one of the common causes of morbidity and mortality in children. With the availability of increasing knowledge and awareness, dialysis facilities and excellent supportive treatment, the overall outcome is changing. This study is undertaken to find out the outcome of ARF in children.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was done in Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, (ICH and HC) Egmore, Chennai from February 2014 to January 2016. Children with elevated blood urea (&gt;40 mgs/dl) and serum creatinine (&gt;1 mg/dl) were included and evaluated for etiology, treatment modality and outcome and other co-morbid features. Data was analysed on SPSS 20.0. P value of &lt;0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 105 children (65 boys, 40 girls) from newborn period to 12 years were examined. The common age of presentation of ARF is 1-4 years with a male preponderance and acute glomerulonephritis were found to be commonest cause. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality in relation to age group (P 0.98). There was a statistically significant difference in mortality in relation to duration of oliguria (P 0.02), Serum creatinine levels (P 0.03). The role of other biochemical values like serum potassium (P 0.14), serum bicarbonate (P 0.59) were not found statistically significant. Peritoneal dialysis in general improves survival, but it is not statistically significant (P 0.33). Systemic complications associated with ARF increases mortality and it is statistically significant (Chi- square value = 9.13, P = 0.003).Conclusions: ARF in children is due to transient disorders and early referral to major centres even with 1-2 days oliguria and early treatment will improve the prognosis. Peritoneal dialysis in severe ARF with associated complications really helped the children.

Awareness and knowledge created by issuing dental avulsion pamphlets to parents of primary school children in Chennai

Background: Dental avulsion is defined as the complete displacement of tooth out of socket along with severed periodontal ligament with or without fracture of the alveolar bone. Reimplantation of the avulsed tooth is considered as a best treatment modality due to its biological and psychological advantages. Aim: The aims of this study were to evaluate knowledge level among parents regarding tooth avulsion and replantation and to evaluate a simple leaflet as an information tool to enhance this knowledge. Materials and Methods: One Hundred and fifty parents in Chennai city participated in the study. Half of the parents received a leaflet with basic first aid message regarding what to do in case of tooth avulsion. One week after reading the leaflet, the parents who had received the leaflet were evaluated by using a questionnaire. The other half of the parents who had not seen the leaflet served as control. The level of knowledge was measured in the following categories: General knowledge of tooth avulsion, knowledge of replantation and knowledge of storage methods and storage media. By scoring the knowledge, the level of knowledge was calculated. Results: The results showed that knowledge level was low among Chennai parents. Improvement was seen in all categories of knowledge as a result of reading the leaflet. Conclusion: A simple leaflet can be a valuable tool to convey important basic information and enhance knowledge of tooth avulsion and how parents should act in such a situation, although there are limitations in conveying the message for a complete understanding. Measuring the knowledge by scoring can give valuable feedback in developing various educational tools.

Behavioural Impact, Joint Media Management (Parent Co-viewing) and Knowledge Management of Parents among Children in Chennai

Objectives: Television an entertainment media has made its own strong impact among youth right from the day of its discovery. Children watching television has always landed in negative outcomes in aspects relating behaviour, their outcomes in the exams have always been negative and simultaneous lot of health related issues also arose because of continuous watching of television. The main objective of the article concentrates on parent co-viewing television programs along with children and there after their behavioural effects with the family members have a big effect. On the other hand due to Parent co-viewing the kind of programs children watch with their parents and their knowledge enhancement is also considered. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The study is based on convenience sampling of 33 children in Pammal area a sub-urban area in the city. It is based on the parental reports regarding children watching television for long hours, its impact on their scoring in exams, parent co-viewing programs with children, children behaviour with family relatives after watching television programs, parents’ knowledge enhancement level on health issues of television watching children are considered. Findings: The behaviour shown by the children while watching television with their parents’ ie joint media engagement or parent co-viewing is significant. Knowledge enhancement by parents on obesity, eye problems and impact of watching tv on marks scored in exams by children are proved to be insignificant. Applications/Improvement: the findings suggest that joint media engagement or parent co-viewing is not popular in India but the children rash behaviour can be made proper if parent co-viewing is done along with children because children rash behaviour and parent co- viewing are associated with each other.

Evaluation of Dental Caries Awareness among the Parents of School Going Children

AIM: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the awareness of parents about the dental caries among the school going children in chennai. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate the dental caries awareness in the different medium school children by questionnaire method. BACKGROUND: The dental caries is one of the most common infectious diseases all over the world. Overall dental caries is more severe in the baby teeth of 4-11 years children than the permanent tooth. However, an active effort of the school authority and dental health care team can make a awareness program more effective and also make a parents more aware about the dental caries prevention and milk tooth preservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 80 parents from different socioeconomic groups participated in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire addressing various aspects of knowledge and attitude of parents toward oral health and treatment modalities Awareness among parents was significantly lower in low socioeconomic group. Their attitude toward dental treatment differed significantly in high socioeconomic group preferred going to the pediatric dentist. CONCLUSION: The level of awareness among parents is relatively low and there is need for the implementation of oral health awareness programs for parents to change their attitude toward dental treatment of their children

Intussusception in Children Aged Less than Five years.

To enumerate the cases of intussusception in Chennai during 2012-2013, describe the clinical profile, outcomes of case management and highlight the importance of systematically collecting this data in lieu of rotavirus vaccine introduction in India. Medical records of pediatric intussusception cases admitted in eight large hospitals in Chennai from July 2012 through June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical data including diagnostic and treatment practices were obtained. Cases were categorized based on the diagnostic certainty criteria stipulated by the Brighton collaboration on intussusception. During the one year of study period, 205 cases of intussusception were diagnosed in 8 hospitals in Chennai city of India. The median age at presentation was 9 mo (Inter Quartile Range, IQR 6-14) with a male to female ratio of 1.8:1. The commonest site of intussusception was ileocolic (80.4%). Most of the cases (59.8%) were managed non-surgically. Direct surgical intervention was carried out in 26.5% cases whereas in 11.8% of cases, surgery was required after failure of non-surgical measures. Median duration of hospital stay was 3 d (IQR 1-5). This study documents the case burden of intussusception among children in Chennai in a calendar year. Data on receipt of rotavirus vaccine was not available. The authors recommend collection of rotavirus vaccine data among all cases of intussusception in the country, and do retrospective analysis in other parts of the country and prospective surveillance in pediatric / immunization clinics to assess impact of rotavirus vaccine on intussusception rates in the post rotavirus vaccine introduction scenario.

Dental neglect among children in Chennai.

Child dental neglect is the failure of a parent or guardian to meet the child's basic oral health needs such that the child enjoys adequate function and freedom from pain and infection, where reasonable resources are available to family or caregiver. The aim of the study is to evaluate the phenomenon of dental neglect among children in Chennai and to associate dental neglect with oral health status of children aged 3-12 years. This is a cross-sectional study involving 478 pairs of parents and children. Dental neglect scale and a questionnaire were used to assess the dental neglect score among parents of the children involved in the study. Oral health status of children was clinically assessed using oral hygiene index, decayed, extracted, filled teeth (def(t)), pulp, ulcers, fistula, abscess (pufa), decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT), PUFA as per the World Health Organization criteria and pufa/PUFA index. Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA were used appropriately for statistical analysis using SPSS software version 20.0. A significant higher dental neglect score was reported among the parents who reside in the suburban location (P < 0.001), whose educational qualification was secondary (P < 0.001) and who have not availed any dental service for >3 years (P = 0.001). A significant higher DMFT (P = 0.003), deft (P = 0 < 0.001), pufa (P = 0.011), and debris index (P = 0.002) scores were seen in the higher dental neglect group. Child dental neglect is seen among the parents whose educational qualification was secondary, who reside in the suburban location, and who have not utilized the dental services for more than 3 years in Chennai. This dental neglect results in poorer oral health of children.

Sensitivity pattern and trend of multi drug resistance in Salmonella typhi occurring in South India

In a prospective cross sectional study conducted at Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust hospital, a major private tertiary care hospital for children in Chennai, India during the period October 2013 to September 2014. 105 cases were diagnosed as typhoid with their blood culture yielding the growth of Salmonella typhi. Those children were followed with drug sensitivity pattern and the trend of sensitivity was compared.

Prevalence of Dental Caries among School Children in Chennai, Based on ICDAS II

Dental caries is a common dental disease, which occurs during childhood and continues to be a major public health problem. The prevalence of dental caries was associated with oral hygiene practice, sugar consumption and implementation of the preventive oral health program. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental caries in school children aged between 6-14 years using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II). The study population consisted of 2796 school children living in Pallikkaranai, Chennai, India and studying in government recognized schools. Each student was examined by a single examiner using ICDAS system under natural light during normal school hours. The prevalence of dental caries was 68.8% in the total surveyed population. The gender-wise prevalence of dental caries shows, females to have slightly higher prevalence than male. The prevalence of dental caries at the age group of 6 years was 57%, seven year 67%, eight year 63%, nine year 74%, 10 year 76%, 11 year 74%, 12 year 69%, 13 year 71%, and 14 year 69%. The distribution of CARS (Caries associated with Sealants and Restorations) in the surveyed population was only 1.4. The distribution of non-cavitated/early enamel lesions was higher in the studied population and indicated a requirement of a sustained dental health preventive program targeting specific segments of the population.