Family Structure and Oral Hygiene of School Children in Ile-Ife

Background: Most common oral problems in children can be prevented by adequate plaque control. Plaque control for children begins at birth and continues through adolescence. The role of parents in maintaining good oral hygiene in children can not be overemphasized. Objectives: To investigate the oral hygiene of school children by family structure. Methods: The study population consisted of 239 randomly selected school children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Participants completed a questionnaire on family structure, oral hygiene measures, their gingival health was assessed using plaque index (PI) and gingival index. Results: Tooth brushing once daily was the most common practice (60.3%). Fifty three (22.2%) of the children had supervised tooth brushing. Thirty six (15.1%) of the children were living with persons (grandparents, aunty and sister) who were not their parents. PI scores was “fair” for 69.4% of children not living with the parents, “good” for 72.9% of those living with the parents and also “good” for 85.7% living with father only and 73.3% of those living with mother only. A logistic regression analysis of the predictors on gingivitis showed that only the father's level of education had a significant association with gingival health of the children. Conclusions: Irrespective of gender, frequency of brushing, the person the child is living with, mother's level of education, only the father's level of education influenced the oral hygiene status. Key words: children oral hygiene, parents.