Assessment of dental decays and oral hygiene among adolescents : a comparison between private and public schools -

Abstract

Objective: To assess the decays and oral hygiene status in a sample of 12-18 years school children in greater Beirut in terms of prevalence and associated factorsObjective: To assess the decays and oral hygiene status in a sample of 12-18 years school children in greater Beirut in terms of prevalence and associated factorsMethods: A comparative cross-sectional study of adolescent students aged from 12-18 years old, grades 7 to 12, in public and private schools in Greater Beirut-Lebanon. The unit of observation was both the child and the parents. The sample selection was done in 7 public schools and 9 private schools in Beirut. The final study sample included 830 adolescents. The data collection comprised 3 main sources: a dental screening of participants that comprised a score of Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth (DMFT) and the plaque index. A parents questionnaire that included sections on socio-demographic background, health status, habits and use of dental services; and an adolescent questionnaire including oral hygiene and nutritional habits characteristics, oral health related quality of life assessment and tobacco exposure questions to assess potential risk factors that could be associated with oral health. Descriptive analysis, bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to detect differences between schools and to test for associations between risk factors and DMFT and plaque indices taking into account clustering effect. Results: The average DMFT score was high, statistically significantly greater in public (5.83 ± 0.17) compared to private schools (4.08 ± 0.15). The plaque index was fair with an average of 1.04 ± 0.018, and not significantly different between school types. The bivariate analysis revealed that DMFT increases with age, being a female, having a lower parental educational level and family income, bad oral health perception, breast feeding, increased soda and sweets intake, maternal smoking during pregnancy, parental smoking and having a past orthodontic treatment.