Adolescents, self-perception versus oral hygiene

Abstract

Background Oral hygiene is the individual approach to mechanical actions performed properly with the right elements at predetermined time intervals. This information is reflected in an almost illogical and very understandable way to children aged 3–6 years, who conceive the whole procedure as something advised by the parent. In teenage patients, this procedure is considered to be learned by now and turned into a routine of individual hygiene. Methods The primary aim of the study involved the comparison of residual cross-sectional data with retrograde data. Retrograde data are data collected about oral hygiene, in 2010, among children of a state kindergarten. So the data collected in 2010 were reprocessed to compare them with the data collected in 2020 through questionnaires for exactly the same current age group of 9–14 years, but after 10 years. Results The impact of filling and decayed teeth is reflected in the appearance and self-esteem of the adolescent’s age expressed in percentage was about 36%. Prevention of caries and periodontal diseases by means of oral hygiene is evaluated positively in 58% of cases. Students aware of the dentist’s role in identifying dental diseases that can have an impact on the systemic health of the organism are 85%, and the answers for impact and lack of connection reach 15%. Conclusions A significant improvement is observed in the awareness of oral hygiene and the care exercised to achieve it properly during the 10-year time interval. This improvement is recorded with distinct numerical values in this study.