Assessment of periodontal knowledge among residents of West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India: A descriptive epidemiological survey

Aim: To assess the periodontal knowledge among 18–50-year-old adult population living in the West Godavari state of Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional face-to-face interview survey from July 2014 to June 2015 among individuals between ages 18 and 50 years living in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh using a stratified multistage sampling method. For data collection, a specially designed pretested proforma was used. The proforma consisted of demographic details such as name, age, sex, income, education, occupation, personal habits, and systemic diseases, if any. The proforma also included a structured, 14-item questionnaire to assess the knowledge levels of participants regarding periodontal health and diseases. t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the collected data. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all comparisons. Results: The lowest percentage of correct answers was related to gum care during pregnancy (11.6%) and the effect of systemic diseases on periodontium (30%). A majority of the participants had higher level of knowledge scores related to the use of toothpaste (95.2%) and food accumulation leads to gum diseases (80.8%). There was no significant difference in mean knowledge score among different gender and occupation groups (P > 0.05). Participants with high economic status had the highest periodontal disease knowledge (P = 0.015). Conclusion: Knowledge concerning periodontal health and disease is still poor in West Godavari; therefore, more dental health education is needed to improve oral health. In this study, positive attitudes toward prevention were related to better knowledge

Is body mass index truly related to dental caries? Survey on predisposing factors for overweight among Indian school children

Introduction: Globally, non-communicable diseases are increasingly recognized as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Among them, overweight and obesity are imperative. The problem of overweight and obesity is not confined to adults but also to children and adolescents. The present changing dietary pattern among children is contributing to childhood overweight and on other hand stands as a risk factor in the development of dental caries, hence the study aimed to investigate the relation between overweight and dental caries among school children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5-6-year and 12-year-old school children to evaluate the relation between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries. Using stratified random sampling technique 1017 school children were selected. Subjects who have brought consent from their parents were included and subjects who were absent on the day of examination were excluded. A pre-structured questionnaire was prepared to collect data regarding demographic details, oral hygiene practices, dentition status and treatment needs, (BMI), 24-hour diet history, physical activity, and television watching. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis (SPSS V 16.0) using Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression tests. Results: "Risk of overweight" 20% and an "overweight" of 40% were observed. With BMI, parental overweight (P = 0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (P = 0.001), physical activity (P = 0.001) and television watching (P = 0.001) were found to be statistically related. Body mass index and dental caries were not statistically related. Conclusion: These complex and multifactorial relations like overweight and dental caries may involve many unknown factors which warrant exploration on larger population

Effectiveness of school dental screening on stimulating dental attendance rates in Vikarabad town: A randomized controlled trial

Background: The school dental screening program has been in existence from the beginning of 20 th century. Its value in encouraging attendance among school children is not fully established. Aim: The aim was to determine the effectiveness of school dental screening on stimulating dental attendance rates among school children in Vikarabad town. Objectives: (a) To compare the dental attendance rates between 6-9 and 10-13 years old age groups, among male and female school children in Vikarabad town. (b) To identify the type of dental treatment received by the school children. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among school children aged 6-13 years old from 16 schools that were randomly selected and divided into two groups. Eight schools had a dental screening program (study group = 300 children) and had blanket referral cards and 8 schools that did not have the intervention (control group = 300). The dental attendance rates were determined after 3 months of follow-up period by evaluating the blanket referral cards for the study group and by an oral questionnaire for the control group. Results: The dental attendance rate was 27% for the study group and 18% for the control group which is statistically significant. The attendance rate was higher among 10-13 years of children both in test group and control groups. Among the children who visited the dentist, 53% in the control group and 69% from the test group got simple amalgam and glass ionomer cement restorations. Conclusion: The dental attendance rates were improved following school dental screening