Oral Health status in traditional and health

Abstract

Background and Aim: Periodontal diseases and dental caries are two of the most common oral health problems. The present study was carried out to evaluate the oral and dental health indices of sixth grade primary school students. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 162 male and female students were randomly selected in two steps from traditional primary schools and health-promoting schools (HPSs) in Hashtgerd City, Alborz Province, Iran. Demographic information and oral health behaviors were recorded. Examinations were performed by one person, and the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and oral hygiene index simplified (OHI-S) were checked and recorded in the standard form of the World Health Organization (WHO). Data were analyzed by the t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Findings: The mean DMFT was 1.83 ± 2.17. There was no significant difference between genders. The mean OHI-S was 1.40 ± 0.57. Oral hygiene was good for girls, and it was moderate for boys, in which this difference was significant (p < 0.001). The relationship between DMFT and OHI-S in the total population was statistically significant (p < 0.01). DMFT and OHI-S were higher in the traditional schools than in HPSs.