Oral Health Index for Children: A Novel System Introduction Assessing the Oral Hygiene Status of Primary and Mixed Dentition.

Abstract

Introduction: The simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) is regarded as a sensitive and simple method for quantitative assessment of oral hygiene status that enhances decision-making efficiency and reduces examination time. However, no exclusive indices catering to the assessment of oral hygiene in pediatric patients with primary or mixed dentition have been proposed in existing literature. The present research evaluated the reliability and validity of the new oral health index for children (OHI-C).

Materials and methods: The present study was conducted on a total of n = 60 children of 6-12 years of age. The oral cavity was evaluated in the first round, followed by the calculation of OHI-S and OHI-C indices for the subjects. About 5 minutes after the first round, a second examination of the oral cavity was performed to record the OHI-C again.

Results: The OHI-S was significantly correlated with the OHI-C (p < 0.05), and OHI-S showed a positive correlation with OHI-C with r = 0.536. Intra- and interexaminer reproducibility for clinical examination of the OHI-C showed moderate to good agreement, with about 75% intraobserver agreement and 59% interobserver agreement.

Conclusion: Findings of the present study suggest that the OHI-C has moderate to good intra- and interexaminer reproducibility, and the examination by OHI-C still provides information that will enable the dental professional to determine practicable oral health instructions in children, similar to the corresponding OHI-S in adults.

How to cite this article: Takate VS, Padawe DS, Rathi GV, et al. Oral Health Index for Children: A Novel System Introduction Assessing the Oral Hygiene Status of Primary and Mixed Dentition. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2025;18(5):548-552.