Clinically- and Self- Assessed Oral Health of Turkish Children

OBJECTIVE: To study self-assessed oral health and its association with clinically-assessed oral health among school children, from different socio-economic backgrounds. METHODS: Two schools were selected by cluster sampling from high and low socio-economic districts to represent the general population of a district (Kadikoy) in Istanbul. Data were collected on 611 schoolchildren aged 10 to 12 with questionnaires completed at the schools (97%). A dental health examination based on WHO criteria was performed on 584 children (95%). RESULTS: Of all children, 17% were dentally nondiseased (DMFS = 0) and 1% had all sextants periodontally healthy (CPI=0), whereas the percentage having three sextants healthy was 3%. Almost half the children reported they had never had bleeding on toothbrushing (41%), and half considered their own dental health above average. Public school children (PUSC), with higher mean DMFS than that of private school children (PRSC) (4.4 ± 3.5, 2.8 ± 2.8, p < 0.05), had more unhealthy gums (CPI>0) in posterior (100%) and less in anterior sextants (82%), than did those of PRSC (68% and 98%), (p<0.05). PUSC reported worse gingival health (SRGH) (23% never had bleeding) and dental health (SRDH) (41% above average) than those of PRSC (66% and 63%),(p=0.000). Regular toothbrushing frequencies of PRSC and PUSC (80%, 61%), (p=0.000), were positively associated with SRGH and SRDH, (p<0.05). Low indices of DMFS and CPI were not associated with toothbrushing, SRGH and SRDH of neither PRSC nor PUSC, (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Self-assessed oral health seemed to be unreliable in assessment of the prevailing oral health status among preadolescents of different social backgrounds. This may be due to children's having insufficient oral health knowledge, and misconceptions concerning the effectiveness of their oral hygiene behaviour.