Keywords
Oral hygiene
Prevalence
Schools
Nepal
How to Cite
Abstract
Dental caries is the most common oral health disease among school-aged children worldwide. Aim: This study aims to identify the prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene practices, and food habits among school children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at two secondary schools in Budhanikantha Municipality, Ward No. 2 and 12, with a total of 400 students participating. An oral examination was performed by a dentist, and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) were used to determine the presence of dental caries. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26 was used for all analyses. Results: Among the participants, the majority (66.3%) were aged 10-14 years, with a mean age of 13.58 years (±1.85), and were male (57.3%). The prevalence of dental caries was 63.0%, with a mean DMFT score of 1.67 (±1.82). Only 38.0% of participants brushed their teeth twice a day, and all used a toothbrush for brushing. Drinking tea with sugar (61%), eating sweets/candy (42%), and biscuits, cakes, and cream cakes (37.8%) were the most frequently consumed items and were consumed on a daily basis. Health-seeking behavior was poor, with the majority (32.8%) of participants not visiting the dentist within 12 months, and 22% never receiving dental care. Conclusion: The study reveals a high prevalence of dental caries among school children, indicating a need for improved oral health practices and healthcare utilization. The low frequency of tooth brushing and high consumption of sugary foods and drinks suggest that oral health education and promotion of healthy habits are essential.
References
Aslan Ceylan J, Aslan Y, Ozcelik AO. The effects of socioeconomic status, oral and dental health practices, and nutritional status on dental health in 12-year-old school children. Egyptian Pediatr Assoc Gaz. 2022;70(1):1-10. doi: 10.1186/s43054-022-00104-3.
World Health Organization. Oral health. Genebra: WHO [cited 2023 Apr 9]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/oral-health#tab=tab_1.
Machiulskiene V, Campus G, Carvalho JC, Dige I, Ekstrand KR, Jablonski-Momeni A, et al. Terminology of Dental Caries and Dental Caries Management: Consensus Report of a Workshop Organized by ORCA and Cariology Research Group of IADR. Caries Res. 2020;54(1):7-14. doi: 10.1159/000503309. Epub 2019 Oct 7.
Yadav K, Prakash S. Knowledge, attitude and practice on dental caries and Oral hygiene among medical students at Janaki medical college teaching hospital. Int J Med Biomed Sci. 2016;1(2):22-31. doi: 10.55530/ijmbiosnepal.v1i2.13.
Youssefi MA, Afroughi S. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Dental Caries in Primary Schoolchildren: An Iranian Setting. Int J Dent. 2020 Jan;2020:8731486. doi: 10.1155/2020/8731486.
Shitie A, Addis R, Tilahun A, Negash W. Prevalence of dental caries and its associated factors among primary school children in Ethiopia. Int J Dent. 2021;2021:1-7. doi: 10.1155/2021/6637196.
Prasai Dixit L, Shakya A, Shrestha M, Shrestha A. Dental caries prevalence, oral health knowledge and practice among indigenous Chepang school children of Nepal. BMC Oral Health. 2013 May;13:20. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-13-20.
Ramesh S, Sundari S. Dental caries and oral hygiene practices among school children in Chennai, India: a cross sectional study. Int J Contemp Pediatr. 2019;6(5):2032-6. doi: 10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20193719.
Bhagat TK, Shrestha A. Prevalence of dental caries among public school children in the Eastern Nepal. J Chitwan Med Col. 2014 Jul;4(1):30-2.
Sharma P. Oral health in Nepal: challenges. Acta Scient Dent Sci. 2019;3(9):55.
Mlenga F, Mumghamba EG. Oral hygiene practices, knowledge, and self-reported dental and gingival problems with rural-urban disparities among primary school children in Lilongwe, Malawi. Int J Dent. 2021 Mar;2021:8866554. doi: 10.1155/2021/8866554.
Quadri MFA, Shubayr MA, Hattan AH, Wafi SA, Jafer AH. Oral hygiene practices among Saudi Arabian children and its relation to their dental caries status. Int J Dent. 2018 Apr;2018:3234970. doi: 10.1155/2018/3234970.
Aliyu M, Akano BU. Oral hygiene practices and prevalence of dental caries among school children in Niger state, Nigeria. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2019;5(5):217-20. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190505.16.
Suttagul K, Rokaya D, Rokaya N, Humagain M. Prevalence of dental caries and oral hygiene practice in school children of Bhaktapur, Nepal. World J Med Sci. 2016;13(2):107-10. doi: 10.5829/idosi.wjms.2016.13.2.102170.
Ingle NA, Dubey HV, Kaur N, Gupta R. Prevalence of dental caries among school children of Bharatpur city, India. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2014 Jan;4(1):52-5. doi: 10.4103/2231-0762.131267.
Alhabdan YA, Albeshr AG, Yenugadhati N, Jradi H. Prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among primary school children: a population-based cross-sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Environ Health Prev Med. 2018 Nov;23(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s12199-018-0750-z.
Rasul F, Rizvi Z, Aqeel R, Wahid S, Ahmed A, Shah S. Oral hygiene practices and knowledge about dental caries among 15 years old school students in Lahore population: a cross sectional survey. Biomed J Scient Techn Res. 2019;20(3):15129-37. doi: 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.20.003469.
Pradhan RJ, Poudyal S, Lamichhane R, Joshi U. Dental caries and periodontal disease prevalence and oral hygiene practices among Chepang female of Nepal. Nepal J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020;15(31):109-11.
Singh M, Ingle NA, Kaur N, Yadav P, Ingle E, Charania Z. Dental caries status and oral hygiene practices of lock factory workers in Aligarh City. J Int Oral Health. 2015 Jun;7(6):57-60.
Elamin A, Garemo M, Gardner A. Dental caries and their association with socioeconomic characteristics, oral hygiene practices and eating habits among preschool children in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - the NOPLAS project. BMC Oral Health. 2018 Jun;18(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s12903-018-0557-8.
Khanal S, Acharya J. Dental caries status and oral health practice among 12-15 year old children in Jorpati, Kathmandu. Nepal Med Coll J. 2014 Sep;16(1):84-7.
Abiola AA, Eyitope OO, Sonny OJ, Oyinkan OS. Dental caries occurrence and associated oral hygiene practices among rural and urban Nigerian pre-school children. J Dent Oral Hyg. 2009;1(5):64-70. doi: 10.5897/JDOH.9000011.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rajesh Karki, Kapila Lamichhane, Maheshor Kaphle
Downloads
