Oral health related habits, knowledge and attittude in children with asthma

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this research was to determine oral hygiene related habits, knowledge and behavior in children with asthma compared to healthy children. Methodology This study included 136 children, between 6 to 16 years of age, divided into the two groups. The first group included children with asthma (study group - SG), while the second included healthy children (control group - CG). A questionnaire containing three groups of questions related to oral-hygiene and dietery habits as well as oral health related behaviour in children was prepared. Results The percentage of children from SG that brush teeth several times a day was 60.2% compared to 77.2% of CG children (p<0.05). 19.1% of SG group children versus 38.2% of CG children brush their teeth longer than 2 minutes (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of knowledge about plaque impact on oral health between the two groups (p>0.05). More than half (52.9%) of CG respondents regularly visit dentist, while 50.0% of SG goes regularly (p<0.01). 51.5% of CG children visit the pediatric dentist due to preventive reasons, while SG children goes mainly due to rehabilitation of teeth (42.6%). The fear of dental procedures is more pronounced in SG compared to CG children (p<0.001). Conclusion Oral hygiene related habits and oral health behavior were worse in children with asthma, while no difference was found in relation to the knowledge among the observed groups.