The Correlation between dental crowding and oral hygiene status among urban adults at Dijlah University College

Abstract

Introduction: If teeth are crowded, food particles may become stuck in the inter-dental areas making brushing more difficult resulting in plaque accumulation, periodontal and dental problems. Aims of study:  Investigation any potential relationship between dental hygiene and crowded teeth. Methodology: This study uses a cross-sectional design and is analytical in nature.The investigation was conducted in the dentistry department at Dijlah University College with total number of samples 200 subjects: 50 male and 50 female participants with normal aligned teeth, in addition to 50 male and 50 female participants with crowded teeth who are between 18-25 years of age. The  crowding status (moderate and severe) was assessed clinically to determine tooth alignment. While, The oral hygiene condition was evaluated using the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S) test. Results: The Chi-square test was applied to evaluate the data.According to the results of the current study,The average OHI-S score for subjects with a normally aligned teeth is 1.55 while Individuals with a crowding status display an average OHI-S score of 1.748. The study's findings indicate that there is no  a significant correlation (p-value=0.317) between dental crowding and oral hygiene. Conclusion: Teeth irregularities and crowding has little effect on oral hygiene.