Abstract
Aims: Effective school programmes are essential for oral health which affects general health and well-being of school children. School oral health programmes have been regularly conducted at selected public schools in Sunsari, Nepal. The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status among 6-11 year-old children of a residential school during a fi ve-year f ollow-up.
Methods: A longitudinal, retrospective study was conducted using a registry analysis of the available oral health records of all the 80 school children [44 boys and 36 girls] initially enrolled in Martyr Memorial Residential School, Sunsari, Nepal. Oral health records available from 2009-2014 were checked for completeness; 73, 64, 58, 59, 55 and 56 complete records of respective years were analysed. The missing records were of those who had left the school or were absent on the days of oral examination. Data consisting of demographic profile, dental caries and treatment done (assessed with dmft/DMFT index using WHO 1997 dentition status criteria), and oral hygiene status (assessed with simplified oral hygiene index [OHI-S]) of each child was collected. The Institutional Review Committee of B.P. Koirala Institue of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) approved the study and consent of local guardians was obtained for each child. The examiners were final year BDS students who were trained and calibrated on performing dmft/DMFT and OHI-S indices. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed taking into account the incidences of dental caries over the follow-up years.
Results: On initial examination in 2009, dental caries was present in 31 (42.4%) children; none of their teeth were filled. Children developing dental caries in primary teeth over the years (2010-2014) were 6 (9.3%), 2 (3.5%), 2 (3.5%), 0 (0.0%) and 2 (3.6%) and in the permanent dentition they were 5 (7.8%), 6(10.3%), 1 (1.5%), 3 (5.5%) and 6 (10.7%), respectively. Similarly, the numbers of children with filled primary teeth were 13 (20.3%), 13 (22.4%), 15 (25.5%), 17 (30.9%), and 20 (35.7%) whereas, those with filled permanent teeth were 8 (12.5%), 6 (10.3%), 8 (13.6%), 8 (15.5%), and 10 (17.9%), respectively. Initially, 26 (35.6%) children had good oral hygiene. Over the years (2010-2014), good oral hygiene was present in 34 (53.1%), 30 (51.8%), 46 (77.9%), 45 (81.8%), 41 (73.3%) children, respectively.
Conclusion: In the population studied, the school oral health programme was effective in improving oral hygiene. Although there was a reduction in children with dental caries in the primary dentition, the same was not the case for the permanent dentition.
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