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

Dental deterioration is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children in all of the world.
The aim of this study was to assess oral health status and related oral health behaviors and demographic aspects among children in Qazvin Province.
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 Kruskal-Wallis (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 Children and adolescents suffer from deteriorated oral health status therefore it is necessary to conduct oral health education in corporation with their families.