School Children In Chennai Research Articles

Exploring the Risk Factors Associated with Video Game Addiction among Adolescent School Children in Chennai District, Tamil Nadu, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Video game addiction has emerged as a significant concern among adolescent children in recent years. With the widespread availability of technology and the increasing popularity of video games, a substantial number of adolescents are displaying addictive behaviours. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of video game addiction among adolescent school children in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India and find out the various risk factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chengalpattu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India among 300 school children aged 10-17 years from four private schools in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from February 2023 to June 2023. Data collection involved the Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents (GASA) and a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: The study revealed that approximately 31.7% of the participants had video game addiction. Categorical variables were analysed using the Chi-square test, with a significance level of p <0.05. Bivariate logistic regression was utilised to determine unadjusted odds ratios, and variables with p <0.05 were included in the multivariate model to calculate adjusted odds ratios and construct 95% confidence intervals. Conclusion: Video game addiction among adolescent school children is a significant issue with multiple associated risk factors. By promoting awareness, encouraging healthy coping mechanisms, and fostering balanced lifestyles, we can effectively address video game addiction and enhance the wellbeing of adolescent school children.

Age and sex-specific waist circumference percentiles among school children in Chennai

Background: The aim was to develop age- and sex-specific waist circumference percentiles for school children aged 5 to 17 years in Chennai. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among school children in Chennai. A total of 1124 children aged 5 to 17 years were included in the study, of which 540 were female and 584 were male. Anthropometric details, weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI) were measured. The percentiles for waist circumference according to age and gender was done using SPSS 28.0. Khadilkar et al suggested a cutoff of 70th centile screening for central obesity and risk for metabolic syndrome; similarly, we plotted 70th WC percentiles. Results: Age- and sex-specific WC percentiles (5th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 85th, 90th, 95th) were provided. Our study revealed a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity (40.6%) in children (overweight: 21.08%, obesity: 19.50%) when compared to other school studies. BMI in children with WC >70th percentile revealed 87% of them were overweight or obese. A strong and significant statistical correlation was observed between waist circumference and overweight or obesity (p<0.001). Conclusions: Age- and sex-specific reference curve percentiles for waist circumference and cut-off values greater than the 70th percentile for schoolchildren were provided. We strongly recommend utilising waist circumference as an anthropometrical tool to quantify central obesity in schoolchildren.

Effect of School-Based Educational Interventions on the Knowledge of Malaria and Dengue Among Higher Secondary School Children in Chennai, India: A Pre and Post-intervention Study.

Introduction: School children are a means to reach and sensitize the community on the prevention of seasonal diseases such as malaria and dengue. The current study aims to determine the impact of school-based educational interventions on the knowledge of students toward the prevention and control of malaria and dengue in higher secondary schools.Methods: This pre- and post-intervention study was conducted in three higher secondary schools in Zone IV, North Chennai, from September to December 2021. A total of 284 students in the age group of 13-17 years participated in the study. School-based educational interventions were delivered through PowerPoint-assisted lectures, participatory group activities, and demonstration of mosquito larvae and their control. The impact of the interventions as the change in knowledge level was analyzed using McNemar’s test, with a p-value of <0.05.Results: Educational interventions led to the improvement in knowledge about malaria symptoms, such as fever (43.7% to 76.1%; p<0.001), chills (45.1% to 82.4%; p<0.001), and headache (46.1% to 86.6%; p<0.001), and the knowledge of Aedes mosquito bites as the cause of dengue transmission enhanced (41.9% to 92.2%; p<0.001). Similarly, there was an increase in knowledge on the identification of vector mosquito breeding sites inside the house (11.9% to 67.9%; p<0.001) and outside the house (10.9% to 69.7%; p<0.001) and mosquito net usage (21.5% to 76.1%; p<0.001) after the interventions.Conclusion: School-based educational interventions had a significant impact on enhancing the knowledge on the prevention and control of malaria and dengue among school children. Involving school children can strengthen existing malaria and dengue prevention and control strategies in endemic areas.

Eruption Pattern of Permanent Molars among School Children in Chennai

Background: Estimation of the age of an individual is essential investigation in medicolegal cases,&#x0D; especially involving children and adolescents. Among the various factors used for age estimation, eruption of&#x0D; permanent teeth is one of them. Several factors influence the eruption of teeth, including genetic, nutritional&#x0D; and hormonal. This study was carried out to analyze the pattern of eruption of permanent teeth among school&#x0D; going children in urban Chennai.&#x0D; Method: This cross sectional study was carried out among 983 school children between the age group&#x0D; of 4-14 years. Two schools, one belonging to the lower socioeconomic status and the other belonging to&#x0D; the higher socioeconomic status were taken up for this study. Eruption of permanent teeth were examined&#x0D; clinically.&#x0D; Results: Majority of the first molars erupted by7-7.5 years of age (95%) while majority of the central&#x0D; incisors erupted between 8-9 years. Lateral incisors were completely erupted between 9.5-10 years and first&#x0D; premolar were completely erupted between 12.5-12.9 years. Both second premolar and canine erupted by&#x0D; 13.5-13.9 years.&#x0D; Conclusion: The visual observation of eruption of permanent teeth is a non invasive procedure and does not&#x0D; require any special machines like that of radiography. This method of assessing the age of the individual is&#x0D; considerably easier, economical and safe. Hazards of exposing the individual to radiation can be prevented.

A report on the occlusal dental caries experience in deciduous, mixed and permanent dentition of school children in Chennai, Tamil Nadu 2017-18

Background: Dental caries is the most common disease among the spectrum of oral diseases and is still a major public health burden in developing countries, affecting 60-90% of school children. To obtain a database about the dental caries prevalence among the school children in Chennai city, 2017-2018.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 2300 school children aged between 3 to 17 years in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Dental caries was recorded using World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) and DMFT indices. Chi square test was done to assess the comparison between primary and mixed and mixed and permanent. DMFT and DMFT indices had extreme values, hence ‘0’ was set as median value and median test was applied.Results: The present study showed a higher prevalence of dental caries in primary (40.17%), mixed (‘d’ 33.02% and ‘D’ 38.8%) and permanent dentition (51.06%). The filled component is less with 0.85% in primary, 2.20% in mixed ‘f’, 0.58% in mixed ‘F’, and 2.98% in permanent dentition. The mean ‘DMFT’ in primary dentition is 1.32, mixed dentition mean ‘DMFT’ is 0.84, mixed dentition mean ‘DMFT’ is 0.96 and in permanent dentition mean DMFT is 1.57. Dental caries prevalence was found to be significantly more in males when compared to females.Conclusions: There is a higher prevalence of dental caries among school children in all three groups and this data can be used to plan preventive programmes to improve the oral health of this children.

Does Body Mass Index affect Tooth Eruption Sequence? A Study among 6-7 Years Old Schoolchildren in Chennai, India.

ABSTRACTBackgroundChanges in eruption pattern cause malocclusion and crowding, which lead to poor oral hygiene as well as periodontal disorders. Hence, it is important for the dentist to know the exact tooth eruption sequence to educate the parents. Tooth eruption sequence we follow is based on the Western population.AimAs Indian population differs from the Western population in ethnicity, racially, and dietary habits, etc., an attempt was undertaken to compare eruption sequence of Indian children in accordance with the Western population and also to correlate whether body mass index (BMI) affects tooth eruption.Materials and methodsBody mass index and eruption status of permanent mandibular central incisors and first molars were recorded among 529 schoolchildren in Chennai. Eruption status was examined with the help of mouth mirrors and illumination under natural light. The recorded data were entered into Microsoft Excel 2007 and were analyzed using Chi-square test, z test, and Spearman's correlation test. Level of significance was set as 0.05.ResultsEruption values attained from our study were not consistent with the eruption values reported by Logan and Kronfeld. The present study showed that girls have early tooth eruption than boys. Our findings showed negative correlation with respect to BMI and eruption sequence of 31 (r = −0.133), 41 (r = −0.140), 36 (r = −0.08), and 46 (r = −0.076).ConclusionEruption values reported by Logan and Kronfeld are inappropriate for Indian population. It is also found that obese children had delayed tooth eruption when compared with underweight children who had early tooth eruption.How to cite this articleAnu V, Brindha JR, Carol PT, et al. Does Body Mass Index affect Tooth Eruption Sequence? A Study among 6–7 Years Old Schoolchildren in Chennai, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(3):261–263.

Dental caries and oral hygiene practices among school children in Chennai, India: a cross sectional study

Background: Dental caries is commonly seen among school children. The World Health Organization has stated it to be one of the leading non-communicable diseases. Objective of study the prevalence of dental caries among school children and to study the oral hygiene practices in the occurrence of dental caries.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 307 school children aged 10-15 years. Each child was asked about the dental hygiene practices and was examined for the presence of caries.Results: The prevalence of dental caries among school children was found to be 48.9 % with the 95% CI of 43.3% - 54.4%. The prevalence of dental caries was high among children 10-12 years of age 95(53.6%) compared to 55 (42.3%) among children in the age group of 13-15 years (p=0.05). Daily sweet consumption was significantly associated with a higher prevalence 40 (63.5%) of dental caries (p=0.01). Children not consuming vegetables and fruits everyday had a higher prevalence 76.5% dental caries (p = 0.03). Children who are not practicing night brushing had a higher prevalence of 112 (52.8%) of caries (p=0.04). The study showed that only 17.3% of the children visited a dental health care service.Conclusion: Authors found the prevalence of dental caries to be high. Health education regarding the importance of good oral hygiene practices such as night brushing, diet modification and periodic dental visits to all the school children will play a major role in the prevention of dental caries.

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

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

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.

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.

DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE AND TREATMENT NEEDS AMONG 12-YEAR-OLD SCHOOLCHILDREN IN CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU

Aim: To evaluate the dental caries experience and treatment needs among 12 year-old schoolchildren in Chennai. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 714 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chennai. A cluster sampling methodology was used. Each school, which was selected through simple random sampling, was considered a cluster. New clusters were included until the desired sample size was achieved. Dentition status and treatment need index from the World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form were used. From the raw data obtained, significant caries index score was calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: At 12 years of age, the prevalence of dental caries was 31% with a mean decay of 0.57±1.03. Females had a higher level of caries than males. The “decayed” component was the biggest contributor to the decayed missing and filled teeth index. The highest treatment need was one surface restoration. Conclusion: The caries experience of 12-year-old children was low as compared to the WHO - “recommended” values. Effective oral health promotion strategies need to be implemented to further improve the dental health of schoolchildren in Chennai city. Key words: Dental caries, Prevalence, Schoolchildren, Treatment needs

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.

Ocular morbidity screening among school children in Chennai

Background: Child’s vision is most essential for their successful learning. Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and thereby their future. the A study of pattern of ocular disorders in children is very important because some eye conditions like high Myopia, congenital anomalies invariably lead to Blindness. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of various ocular disorders among school going children in the age group 5-15 years in an urban population. Methods: This cross sectional study was done among school going children of age 5-15 years. The criterion for classifying as visually impaired was visual acuity less than 6/9 in one or both eyes. The sample size was calculated by the prevalence of refractive errors in school children as 20% with an alpha error of 5% and relative precision 10%. Prevalence of ocular morbidities and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. By applying Chi-square tests, the differences in proportions were considered significant at 5% level. Results: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1580 children aged 5- 15 years. Among the selected children, 55.1% were males and 44.9% were females. Children with visual impairment due to various ocular morbidity were 22.3% (353). Among them, 19.3% had refractive error; amblyopia in one eye was 0.9%, followed by vitamin A deficiency 0.6% and congenital anomalies 0.1%. Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of eye health problems in school children is essential for the prevention of blindness.

Behavioural determinants for obesity: a cross-sectional study among urban adolescents in India.

ObjectivesTo measure the prevalence of behavioural risk factors for obesity among urban adolescent school children in Chennai, India.MethodsThis study was performed as a cross-sectional study using a World Health Organization-designed Global School-based Student Health Survey questionnaire (modified for India) among adolescent school children studying in 30 randomly selected secondary and higher secondary schools in Chennai city. 1842 adolescents studying in the VIII to XII standards were randomly selected for the study.ResultsIn the present study, 40.7% of the students ate fruit one or more times per day and 74.5% of the students ate vegetables one or more times per day. Nearly 20% of the students ate fast food items on 4 to 7 days during the previous week. Among the students, 30.4% watched television for more than two hours per day. Nearly 68% of the girls and 22% of the boys did not participate in outdoor sports activities. When the pattern of physical activity of the students was assessed, it was observed that 15.6% were inactive, 43.4% were minimally active, and the remaining 41.0% belonged to the category of health enhancing physical activity. Among the students, 6.2% were overweight and 5.2% were obese.ConclusionsThe prevalence of risk factors for obesity was quite high among the adolescents. This study also showed that a great proportion of overweight/obese adolescents had a correct perception of their body weight and they were making efforts to modify risk factors such as television viewing, computer use, a sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy dietary habits.

Oral health attitudes, knowledge and practice among school children in Chennai, India

Background: Oral health is fundamental to general health and well-being. Sources of oral health information for adults have been examined but documentation of children's sources is limited. Aim: The aim of the following study is to investigate the dental health attitudes, knowledge and practice of school children in Chennai using a questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The subjects for this study were randomly selected from five private and five government schools in the age group of 10-16 years. A total of 592 children were screened, of which 219 were males and 373 were females. Results: Overall the level of knowledge score was statistically significant with P = 0.004. There was statistically significant difference with P = 0.008 when comparing the frequency of brushing the teeth twice per day among the two different age groups. Comparing the various other factors such as gender, type of school and age groups to the visit to the dentist, it was observed that statistically significant difference with P Conclusion: The overall level of oral health knowledge among the surveyed children was low.

Sweet Score and Dental Caries Experience of 12-13 Year Old School Children in Chennai

Dental caries is multi-factorial with sugar consumption being the most important factor. Sugared items are the most relished substances by the children. They consume it and develop dental caries even in their early childhood. Aim: To assess the association between sweet score and dental caries experience among 12-13 year school children in Chennai. Materials and Methods: Study population includes 317 children, 179 children from rural school and 138 children from urban school. Sweet score was assessed using Niezel and Pappas 24 hour diet method and dental caries was measured using DMFT index. Data collected was analyzed using Chi square test and Spearman's rank co-efficient correlation. Result: Statistical test showed significant difference between rural and urban population based on sweet score ( 2 14.064, p 0.029). The mean DMFT of urban school children was 1.89 and rural school was 0.92. There was no significant difference between rural and urban population based on mean DMFT ( 2 47.354, p 0.263). Spearman's rank co-efficient correlation shows no significant correlation between sweet score and dental caries. Results also showed majority of the study population 68.11% in urban and 67.03% in rural were in the 'watch-out zone', indicating the need of diet counseling among school children.

Prevalence of malocclusion and treatment needs of 12 year old school children, chennai using the dental aesthetic index (DAI)

Study was conducted to assess the prevalence of malocclusion and treatment needs among 12-year old school children in chennai using Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). A cross sectional study done on school children aged 12 years attending different higher secondary schools in chennai, India. Four schools were selected randomly and all 12 year old children were included in the study. A total of 613 school children (334 boys and 279 girls) were examined. Clinical examination was carried using Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). Chi-square test was done to test the association between malocclusion and gender. 56.3% had a dental appearance which required no orthodontie treatment, 25.1% had a definite malocclusion, where treatment was ‘elective’ and 12.1 % had severe malocclusion and 6.2% had handicapping malocclusion, where treatment was considered to be highly desirable and mandalory. The difference in malocclusion severity level among boys and girls was not statistically significant (p = 0.684). The prevalence of definite and severe malocclusions was higher in the 12 years old school going children when compared to handicapping conditions in the present study. The need to implement preventive and interceptive orthodontie care is of utmost importance thereby improving the aesthetic perception and social function.