Kumar Vaibhav, Ankola Anil, Sankeshwari Roopali, Jalihal Sagar, Atre Swarali, Mallineni Sreekanth Kumar
Department of Public Health Dentistry, TPCT's Terna Dental College, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Suitradhaar Strategies Pvt. Ltd, India.
J Clin Transl Res. 2021 Jul 16;7(4):436-442. eCollection 2021 Aug 26.
Anganwadi centers are the epicenters of health services for many Indian children. The study aims to assess the oral health status, treatment needs, and association with demographic variables, oral health behaviors, and parents' perception among preschoolers in these Anganwadis.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 1200, 3-5-year-old preschoolers from 48 Anganwadis in Belagavi. They were examined in accordance with the WHO Oral Health Pro forma (2013). A self-administered questionnaire assessed their parents' perception of their oral health. SPSS software (version 20) was used for statistical analysis. Chi-square test computed categorical data. One-Way ANOVA test was used for multiple group comparisons. <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The prevalence of dental caries was found to be 76.1% and gingival bleeding was found in 30.4% participants. The most common oral mucosal lesions were ulcers (5.1%) followed by abscess in 4.5% of children. About 67% of the parents perceived their child's oral health as good. A staggering 98.5% of parents had not taken their children to the dentist ever. About 76.8% of the children required prompt treatment.
Poor oral health status necessitates prompt action with age-specific targeted interventions for the curtailment of the prevalent oral maladies along with preventive strategies for the rejuvenation and resurrection of the plummeted oral health status for restoring the quality of life, coupled with motivation meted out to utilize the abundant dental services available in Belagavi.
Preschool children attending the ICDS Anganwadi centers form a nested cohort of a triangulation of need, presentation, and requirement for a targeted and focused intervention pertaining to oral health hygiene and other important constructs of overall general well-being. This hypothesis generating exploratory study opens up ways and channels for such oral health related translational activities to be planned, implemented and periodically evaluated, as part of the standard procedures and protocols of the machinery.
安格瓦迪中心是许多印度儿童的健康服务中心。本研究旨在评估这些安格瓦迪中心学龄前儿童的口腔健康状况、治疗需求，以及与人口统计学变量、口腔健康行为和家长认知之间的关联。
对来自贝拉加维48个安格瓦迪中心的1200名3至5岁学龄前儿童进行了描述性横断面研究。他们按照世界卫生组织口腔健康检查表（2013年版）接受检查。通过一份自填式问卷评估其家长对他们口腔健康的认知。使用SPSS软件（版本20）进行统计分析。卡方检验用于计算分类数据。单因素方差分析用于多组比较。P<0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
龋齿患病率为76.1%，30.4%的参与者存在牙龈出血。最常见的口腔黏膜病变是溃疡（5.1%），其次是4.5%的儿童出现脓肿。约67%的家长认为其孩子的口腔健康状况良好。高达98.5%的家长从未带孩子看过牙医。约76.8%的儿童需要及时治疗。
口腔健康状况不佳需要立即采取行动，开展针对特定年龄段的有针对性干预措施，以减少常见口腔疾病，同时采取预防策略，恢复下降的口腔健康状况，提高生活质量，并鼓励利用贝拉加维现有的丰富牙科服务。
参加综合儿童发展服务安格瓦迪中心的学龄前儿童构成了一个嵌套队列，涉及口腔健康卫生及整体健康其他重要方面的需求、表现和针对性干预要求。这项探索性研究提出了假设，为规划、实施和定期评估此类与口腔健康相关的转化活动开辟了途径和渠道，这些活动是该机制标准程序和方案的一部分。
