Open AccessAssociation of oral hygiene practices with the outcome of untreated dental caries and its clinical consequences in pre‐ and primary school children: A cross‐sectional study in a northern province of Saudi Arabia
Author(s) -
Gudipaneni Ravi Kumar,
Patil Santosh R.,
Assiry Ali A.,
Karobari Mohmed Isaqali,
Bandela Vinod,
Metta Kiran Kumar,
Almuhanna Redha
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.464
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 2057-4347
DOI - 10.1002/cre2.438
Subject(s) - medicine , oral hygiene , dentistry , tooth brushing , odds ratio , logistic regression , cross sectional study , toothbrush , brush , pathology , electrical engineering , engineering
Objectives To assess the association amongst oral hygiene practices, untreated dental caries (UDC) and clinical consequences of UDC in pre‐ and primary school children aged 3–5 and 6–7 years. Materials and methods A total of 250 subjects were recruited. The demographic and oral hygiene data were collected using a closed‐ended questionnaire. The UDC was measured using the ‘d/D' component of the decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) index, and its clinical consequences were recorded using the ‘p/P' component of the pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula and abscess (pufa/PUFA) index. The data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results Overall, 94.2% and 56.5% of the participants had one or more UDC and pulp involvement ( p ≥ 1), respectively in 3–5‐year‐old age group. In the 6‐7‐year‐ age group the prevalence of UDC was 26.7% and the pulp involvement was 11.6%. Children who brushed with their fingers were 4.7 times more likely to have UDC (crude odds ratio [COR] = 4.71; 95% CI: 1.21–18.40). Twice‐daily brushing resulted in a 39% ( p = 0.732) lower likelihood of having UDC compared with once‐daily brushing (COR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.04, 10.09). Children with irregular brushing frequency were 3.2 times more likely to have pulpal involvement (COR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.74–5.93). Conclusion Finger brushing, irregular frequency of brushing and lack of parental supervision whilst brushing were associated with UDC and its consequences.