Prevalence Of Poor Oral Health Practices And Problems Among Students In Ajman, UAE

Abstract

Aysha Rashed Al-Suwaidi, Shatha Al-Sharbatti, Sura Ali Al-Bayati.

Introduction: Oral health is fundamental to general health. Limited data are coming from UAE regarding oral health practices and problems among students.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of poor oral health practices and common oral problems (dental caries, gingivitis oral hygiene and malocclusion) among students’ in Ajman, UAE, and to identify their determinants.
Methods: A cross sectional study included randomly selected students from schools in Ajman. Validated questionnaire that incorporate 13 practice items and scoring system to identify poor practice participants. Oral examination and reporting of caries index, plaque Index, gingival Index and angle classification of malocclusion were done. Ethical approval and inform consent were obtained. SPSS was used, Chi- square, Fishers’ Exact and logistic regression tests were used to analyze data.
Results: A 395 students were included, 82.5% had poor practice. The prevalence of dental caries, gingivitis, undesirable oral hygiene and malocclusion were 50.4%, 47.6%, 54.4% and 5.8% respectively. Poor practice (P=0.001) and larger family size (P=0.005) increase dental caries risk. Higher risk for gingivitis (P<0.002) , undesirable oral hygiene (<0.0001) and malocclusion (<0.0001) were found among students with poor dental practices. Dental insurance reduces the risk of gingivitis (P=0.001) and undesirable oral hygiene (p<0.0001). Higher risk for malocclusion were found among older student (P<0.0001).
Conclusion: Oral problems and poor oral health practices are common among students in UAE. Poor dental practice and social factors determine the risk of oral problems, while dental insurance reduces the risk of these problems