Comparison of Oral Health Status and Knowledge on Oral Health in Two Age Groups of Schoolchildren: A Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Oral health plays a pivotal role in the overall wellbeing of children. As children grow, there is a variation in their oral health status due to the changing trends and lifestyle. AIM: To evaluate and compare the factors related to oral health status in two age groups of school going children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 582 children aged 8 to 11 years from 3 schools were included. Based on their school grade, they were grouped as younger (third grade) and older (fifth grade) children. Their dental caries status, caries treatment needs, oral hygiene status were assessed. A questionnaire was given to them to assess their knowledge on oral health. RESULTS: Both third and fifth grade children had similar caries status. The caries treatment needs was significantly higher (p = 0.02) in fifth grade children of school III. The oral hygiene status was significantly better (p = 0.004) in fifth grade children of school I and third grade children (p < 0.001) of school III. Fifth grade children were found to have more knowledge on oral health and it was statistically significant in school II (p = 0.001). In school III, as caries status increased, the oral hygiene index score significantly increased (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Age did not have any influence on the oral health status of children. The older children had better knowledge on oral health, but the oral hygiene practices were not followed effectively How to cite this article: Geethapriya PR, Asokan S, Kandaswamy D. Comparison of Oral Health Status and Knowledge on Oral Health in Two Age Groups of Schoolchildren: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(4): 340-345.