فهرست مطالب minoo mojahedi

Oral health care in visually impaired children is a challenge for health care providers. The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene status, dental care needs and oral health behaviors of 4‒12-year-old visually impaired children in Isfahan Province. In this cross-sectional/analytical study, all the visually impaired 4‒12-year-old children under education in Isfahan Welfare and Education Organization underwent thorough oral examinations. Information about oral hygiene habits, dental caries status (dmft and DMFT), gingival index (GI), oral hygiene index and trauma status were recorded. Descriptive and analytical statistical tests, including ANOVA, t-test, chi-squared and Mann-Whitney were used. Linear regression analysis was also conducted to estimate the effect of potential factors on DMFT (α=0.05). A total of 119 children, 19.3% aged 4-6 years and 80.7% aged 6-12 years, were examined; 61.3% had good oral hygiene and 38% had a history of head and face trauma, especially in the 4‒6 age group (p value = 0.032). 49.2% of children, especially the 6‒12-year-old ones (p value < 0.01), reported regular use of toothbrushes. Only 14.4% of children had normal gingiva without inflammation according to GI index. The mean of dmft and the total DMFT were 4.1±4.3 and 3.7±3.2, respectively, without any significant differences between the two age groups. Regression model revealed that only age (β coefficient = -0.5, p value < 0.001) and the frequency of tooth brushing (β coefficient = 0.9, p value = 0.04) were significantly in correlation to DMFT (R2 = 0.15). Dental caries status in the children in our study was above the state and province norms in the 4‒12-year age group. On the other hand, the oral health status and behaviors in these children improved with aging.

Dental and oral hygiene is one of the most important indicators of general healthcare. Promotion of oral health in elementary school students is very important due to lack of adequate dexterity in carrying out correct brushing movements and education is needed in this age group. The aim of this study was to compare roll and scrub brushing techniques in controlling dental plaque in 8-11 year-old students referring to the Department of Community Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. In this clinical trial 215 elementary school students were divided into 8-9 and 10-11 age groups based on age and gender. Half of the subjects in each group were instructed the roll technique and the other half the scrub technique. The subjects brushed their teeth using the techniques instructed. O’Leary’s index was used to register the amount of plaque in each stage and compare the results. Data were analyzed with t-test and co-variance analysis. The scrub brushing technique was significantly more effective in decreasing dental plaque compared to the roll technique (p value < 0.001). Under the limitations of the present study, the scrub brushing technique was significantly more effective in decreasing dental plaque compared to the roll technique in the two age groups evaluated. Older children were more efficient in removing dental plaque. In addition, boys were more efficient than girls in removing plaque.