COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORAL HYGIENE IN CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT ORTHODONTIC STATUS

Abstract

The level of formation of oral hygiene skills and access to high-quality dental care play a key role in the harmonious development of the dentoalveolar system in adolescents and significantly affect overall oral health status. At the age of 12, most children have already established permanent dentition, making this period critically important for fostering a responsible attitude toward individual oral hygiene. Dental awareness among schoolchildren of this age largely depends on hygiene skills previously formed within the family as well as on the hygienic culture of the surrounding environment.
Objective. To compare the level of oral hygiene in children with dental caries depending on the presence and severity of dentoalveolar anomalies.
Materials and Methods. Seventy-six 12-year-old children were examined and divided into four groups according to the presence and severity of dentoalveolar anomalies. Oral hygiene was assessed using the Stallard index and the Green-Vermillion index. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate children’s oral hygiene habits. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test.
Results. The survey results indicated an overall low level of dental awareness among children, manifested by insufficient adherence to basic preventive oral hygiene measures. The highest proportion of positive responses concerned twice-daily toothbrushing, whereas the use of fluoride-containing toothpastes, auxiliary oral hygiene aids, and adherence to dentists’ recommendations were reported considerably less frequently. Awareness of professional and local caries prevention measures was particularly low. Index-based assessments using the Stallard and Green–Vermillion indices revealed predominantly unsatisfactory oral hygiene status in children with caries. A statistically significant increase in both index values was observed with increasing severity of dentoalveolar anomalies (p < 0.05). The poorest oral hygiene indicators were recorded in children with pronounced dentoalveolar anomalies. The findings confirm an association between hygienic behavior, oral hygiene status, and the presence of orthodontic pathology.
Conclusions. Thus, the oral hygiene status of children was unsatisfactory across all study groups. Significantly worse indicators were observed in the presence of dentoalveolar anomalies, which substantiates the need for developing a differentiated approach to caries prevention in children with dentoalveolar anomalies, with mandatory consideration of their severity.