Oral care practices and dental status among children in Arkhangelsk

Relevance. Proper and regular oral care is an integral part of dental disease prevention. The Arctic zone of Russia requires a separate study of caries prevalence and intensity as well as factors contributing to its development due to the Arctic climate and other features. Aim: To study oral hygiene practices among children in Arkhangelsk and evaluate their associations with dental health. 

Materials and methods. The study examined 125 patients aged 3-14 years and analyzed their oral hygiene practices by their parents’ survey. The patients were enrolled consecutively upon their presentation to the Northern State Medical University dental clinic. The study assessed caries intensity using the df, df+DMF and DMF indices. Bivariate analysis of hygiene factors and outcomes association was performed using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The correlation analysis assessed sign association, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated.  

Results. Caries intensity was lower in children whose parents started oral care as the first tooth erupted (p = 0.006). The OHI-S score was worse in children who did not floss their teeth (p = 0.002), brushed their teeth with horizontal movements (p = 0.036), visited a dentist only when needed (p = 0.003), whose parents did not supervise and help with toothbrushing (p = 0.036). The OHI-S scores were better in children who brushed their teeth twice daily (p = 0.027). Correlation analysis revealed statistically significant association between the OHI-S and df, df+DMF, DMF scores (r = 0.494, p < 0.001).  

Conclusions. The study revealed that it is necessary to improve health promotion among parents. Individual dental education of patients and their parents requires more time at a dental appointment. And general dental health awareness among parents needs improvement.

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