Influence of Sociodemographic Factors, Oral Health Practices, and Sugar Consumption on Dental Caries Among 15-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Patna, Bihar

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries is the most common cause of disturbances of normal functions in the oral cavity and lack of preventive and curative measures have further worsened the situation. It is the most common non-communicable disease in the world.
Aim of the study: To assess the influence of Sociodemographic Factors, Oral Health Practices, and Sugar Consumption on Dental Caries Among 15-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Patna, Bihar.
Material & methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted to among 600 children aged 15 years of Patna, Bihar in which DMFT along A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire along with socioeconomic status recorded using pre- validated questionnaire modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale updated for the year 2019. The means and standard deviations of the measurements per group were used for statistical analysis (SPSS 22.00 for windows; SPSS inc, Chicago, USA) and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The mean ± SD was 0.10 ± 0.54, whereas when SES class III-IV were associated with DMFT, the mean ± SD was
0.41 ± 0.71 & watch out zone sweet score was associated with DMFT, the mean ± SD was 0.31 ± 0.62 & frequency of brushing once a day was associated with DMFT results was found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: In this study population, dental caries with socioeconomic status and life style (oral hygiene and dietary habits) were assessed and showed the correlation. All the factors considered in the study are interrelated and health promoting strategies will only improve children wellbeing and provide them with good quality of life.