Caries prevalence and oral hygiene status among 7-12 years old school children from rural and urban areas of Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P

Aims: Dental caries is a common dental public health problem significantly found in both developed and developing countries. It is a dental disease which affects all ages but is particularly found in children. The study aimed to assess the caries prevalence and oral hygiene status in 7-12 years old school children of rural and urban areas of Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in school children who aged 7-12 years from rural and urban areas of Gautam Budh Nagar. A sample of 1003 school children was done by 2 stage cluster sampling technique. School children who aged 7-9 years were included in Group I, whereas 10-12 years included in Group II. Examination of dental caries and oral hygiene status was done by the WHO proforma 2013. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 69.8% and 51.9% in the age group of 7-9 and 10-12 years, respectively. Mean decayed/missing/filled teeth were higher among urban school children as compared to rural school children and mean oral hygiene index simplified (OHI-S) was more in rural school children as compared to urban school children. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries in urban school children was higher than rural school children with good oral hygiene. Oral health education and promotion should be done in regular intervals for creating awareness.