Assessment of degree of dental awareness in schoolchildren aged 10–15 years in Bilaspur District, Chhattisgarh: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health may be defined as a standard of health of the oral and related tissues which enables an individual to eat, speak, and socialize without active disease, discomfort, or embarrassment and which contributes to general wellbeing. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the level of oral awareness among schoolchildren aged 10–15 years in Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. Materials and Methods: In an epidemiological cross-sectional survey, 10–15 years old schoolchildren in Bilaspur were examined to assess the dental awareness. A survey form was prepared with help of a self-administered structured questionnaire written in Hindi. The trained dental surgeon distributed questionnaire among the children. A completely answered questionnaire was collected. The observations were reviewed and analyzed. Results: Among the total number of participants (879), 98.1% of them use toothbrush to clean their teeth, 64.7% did not use dental floss, 91.5% of participants clean their tongue, 59.7% of children use mouthwash, and 85.7% rinse their mouth after every meal. Conclusion: The result of the present study suggests that the oral hygiene habits, oral health awareness, and knowledge level among schoolchildren are poor and need to be improved.

Keywords

• awareness
• oral health
• oral hygiene practices
• school