ORAL HYGIENE HABITS AND ORAL HEALTH STATUS OF FEMALE ADOLESCENTS UNDER STATE PROTECTION: A PILOT STUDY

Authors : Cenker Zeki KOYUNCUOĞLU, Mağrur KAZAK, Ferda PAMUK, Emine ÇİFCİBAŞI

Pages : 1-7

Doi:10.17096/jiufd.65898

View : 30 | Download : 8

Publication Date : 2017-01-04

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate oral health status and oral hygiene practices of female adolescents under state protection. Subjects and Methods : Fifty-five female participants between the age of 12 and 18 who are under the care of The Child Protection Institution were included in this study. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain information regarding knowledge of oral health and habits. Dental caries status was scored according to the criteria of the World Health Organization insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(WHO);, using the indices of Decayed insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(D);, Missing insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(M);, Filled insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(F);, Surfaces insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(S); insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(DMFS);. In addition, Gingival Index insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(GI); and Plaque Index insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(PI); were recorded during periodontal assessment.  Data was statistically analyzed by using Oneway analysis of variance, Tukey’s HSD and Student’s t tests. Results: Fourteen children had dental fear and 52.7% of them were not satisfied with their esthetic appearance. Although 78.2% of the children knew that brushing prevents dental caries, only 18 of them were brushing regularly twice per day. Mean DMFS, GI and PI scores were 13.18±5.68, 1.35±0.37 and 1.33±0.45, respectively. Only 20% of the children were using dental floss. There was statistically no significant difference between the DMFS scores of the children in terms of flossing. However, the difference between the mean GI and PI of the same group was found to be statistically significant insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p<0.05);. Conclusion: Children under state protection were found to have a reasonable knowledge of the causes of dental caries and gum bleeding. Therefore, adequate management of this positive attitude can significantly improve the oral health of this population.
Keywords : Female adolescents, institutionalized, oral health, habits, orphans