Oral health status, attitudes and gender variations among governmental school children at Al-Mafraq governate – Jordan

Objectives: Calculate the prevalence and severity of dental caries and periodontal health among school students aged 12-18 years old and their attitudes toward dental health and oral hygiene at Al-Mafraq governate- Jordan.Materials and methods: Demographic and oral behavioral information were collected; students aged 12-18 years old from six public schools distributed over three districts in Al-Mafraq governate over a six-month period had a full oral and dental examination. DMFT index (Decay, Missing, Filling, Teeth) was used to measure caries experience. Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) of Löe and Silness were used to evaluate the oral health status. T - test was used for statistical evaluation. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: 1165 students were examined, 51% never had been to a dentist or had any previous dental treatment, 39.6% of the students examined never brushed their teeth and 61.85 % had dental caries. The (SiC) was 4.72 with a decay representing 93.53%. Females brush their teeth more frequent than males with a statistically significant difference; p< 0.001. Females showed lower DMFT index (1.81) and compared to males (2.25) with a statistically significant difference. Females showed lower SiC (4.164) compared to males (5.186)   with a statistically significant difference. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females in PI p= 0.590, and GI; p= 0.852.Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries among students in Al-Mafraq governate and the significant caries index were substantially higher than the target goals of WHO/ FDA of year 2015 with more than 90 % of unmet treatment needs. Girls showed better oral hygiene habits compared to boys and exhibited less dental caries experience. However, periodontal status did not differ significantly between both genders.