“Oral Hygiene Practice and Health Status among Adolescent Girls - A Rural School Based Study”

Abstract

India has a high prevalence of dental caries ranging from 60 to 75%. The World Health Organization goal for "Health for All" was to lower the DMFT (Decay Missed Filling Teeth) score to less than 3. The objectives of the present study were to observe oral health status, hygiene practice and their relationship among adolescent girls in Tarakeswar block. This cross sectional study was done on 132 rural girls selected by systematic sampling and assessed by DMFT score and SiC index (Significant Caries index). Dental caries index was 37.1%, mean DMFT score was 0.78 and Sic index was 2.02 among the study population. Gum problems were significantly associated with difficulty in biting and chewing food, malalignment and knowledge of tooth decay cause. DMFT status was significantly associated with frequency of brushing and methods of tooth cleaning. Promotion of school dental health programmes by teachers would go a long way in achieving good oral health status.