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Oral health status and treatment need among preschool children attending Anganwadi centres - a comparative study

Harsh Priya1, Shashdhar Acharya, Manoj Kumar

  • 1Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, India. drharshpriya@gmail.com

Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry
|January 10, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children in a special learning program (SLP) showed improved oral health and reduced dental treatment needs compared to a control group. General health education positively impacts children's oral hygiene.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Health Education

Background:

  • Anganwadi Centres are crucial for delivering services to mothers and children in India.
  • Preschool oral health is a significant public health concern, often linked to socioeconomic factors.
  • The impact of targeted health education programs on early childhood oral health requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the oral health status of preschool children in Anganwadi Centres with and without a special learning program (SLP).
  • To assess and compare the dental treatment needs between the SLP and control Anganwadi groups.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of general health education integrated into early childhood programs on oral health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 3- to 5-year-old children from SLP and control Anganwadis.
  • Data collection included demographic, socioeconomic, oral hygiene practices, dietary habits, and dental visit information.
  • Oral examinations were conducted to assess plaque index, gingival index, and decayed, missing, or filled teeth (dmft) scores.

Main Results:

  • The SLP group exhibited significantly lower mean plaque (0.18) and gingival index (0.15) scores compared to the control group (1.06 and 0.50, respectively).
  • Mean dmft scores were lower in the SLP group (3.40) than in the control group (4.32), indicating less dental caries experience.
  • A higher percentage of children (50.2%) in the SLP group required no dental treatment compared to the control group (33.5%).

Conclusions:

  • Preschool children attending Anganwadis with a special learning program demonstrated superior oral health status.
  • The SLP, incorporating general health education, was associated with reduced dental treatment needs in preschool children.
  • General health education initiatives show a beneficial effect on improving and maintaining oral health in early childhood.
Abstract

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