Practices of oral health maintenance, caries protective factors and caries experience in adults in Sekeloa Region

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries is still the most common oral disease experienced in Indonesia. Caries is caused by various factors. Practices in maintaining proper oral health are urgently needed to maintain healthy teeth and mouth to avoid various diseases, including caries. Caries prevention is inseparable from the role of protective factors that maintain the caries balance. This study was aimed at discovering the level of oral health maintenance practices, caries protective factors, as well as caries experience in adults in Sekeloa Region. Methods: The research method was descriptive cross-sectional with purposive sampling technique. The sample consisted of 61 permanent residents aged 35-44 years in South Sekeloa. Data was collected through questionnaire and DMF-T index examination. Discussion: Dental health maintenance practices including frequency, times, duration, techniques, type of brush bristles, use of brushes according to its lifetime, use of fluoride-containing toothpaste, use of interdental cleaning tools, frequency of dental visits, frequency of scaling procedures, and food consumption along with caries protective factors including the consumption of non-cariogenic snacks, xylitol chewing gum, use of chlorhexidine or fluoride mouthwash, pit and fissure sealant and topical fluoride treatments play an important role in preventing caries. Results: This study shows that subjects performed good practices of oral health maintenance (47.54%), adequate (50.82%), bad (1.64%), and good caries protective factors (1.64%), adequate (52.46%), bad (45.90%). The caries experience degree reached 9.13 and was categorized as moderate. Conclusion: The degree of caries experience in adults aged 35-44 years in the Sekeloa Region was moderate, oral health maintenance practices and caries protective factors were adequate.