Oral health status and oral self-care behaviors among children aged 5-6 and 12 years in Qazvin Province (2013)

Background: Dental deterioration is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children in all of the world. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess oral health status and related oral health behaviors and demographic aspects among children in Qazvin Province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study in 2013, 373 children, aged 5-6 and 12 years were participated by using a cluster sampling method in Qazvin Province. Data was collected with a questionnaire including demographic variables and oral health behaviors consisted of frequency of dental brushing and flossing, history of visiting dentist and using of food. Clinical oral examinations were performed by 6 trained dentists in children’s home. Oral health status was assessed by the DMFT/dmft index. Data was analyzed with SPSS 18, using t-test, one-way ANOVA and KruskalWallis (α=0.05). Findings: The mean of DMFT/dmft index in children aged 5-6 and 12 years were 5.66±4.63 and 3.53±4.22, respectively. The percentage of fluorosis was 86.3%. 94.6% and 96.2% of children has no tooth wear and dental trauma. Tooth brushing including no dental brushing 9.7%, twice or more times per day 14.2% and using dental floss was 10.5%. There were no significant relationships between DMFT/dmft index and gender, types of foods consumed and number of tooth brushing in each day, but there was a significant association between self-perceived oral health and DMFT index (P<0.05). Conclusion: Children and adolescents suffer from deteriorated oral health status therefore it is necessary to conduct oral health education in corporation with their families. Keywords: Oral Health, DMFT Index, Self-Care, Children