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ARTICLE
Year : 2011  |  Volume : 9  |  Issue : 18  |  Page : 781-783

Oral hygiene habits and oral health status of rural school going children in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka


1 Professor, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, The Oxford Dental College, Bengaluru, India
2 Professor and Head, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences, Virajpet, India
3 Professor and Head, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dental Surgery, Mangalore, India
4 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, NSVK Dental College, Bengaluru, India
5 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, Al-Ameen Dental College, Bijapur, India

Correspondence Address:
N Vanishree
Professor, Dept. of Preventive and Community Dentistry, The Oxford Dental College, Bengaluru
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


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Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the oral cleansing habits, oral hygiene levels and caries status of rural school going children in Mangalore, Karnataka. Material and methods: A sample of 278 school going children of 12 years of age were examined in five different rural schools; three government and two private schools, in Mangalore. A questionnaire regarding the teeth cleansing methods was filled for each student. Oral examinations were carried out to record the oral hygiene and caries status of these children using oral hygiene index simplified and DMFT index. Fischer's exact test and chi- square test were used for analyzing the data. Results: Only 9.7% of the private school children brushed their teeth twice a day as compared to none of the government school children. There was no significant difference between private and government school children regarding oral hygiene or caries status. Conclusion: The greatest need of dental health education at an early age including proper instruction of oral hygiene practices and school based preventive programs, which would help in improving preventive dental behaviour and attitude which is beneficial for the entire life time.


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