Correlation of caries status and oral health behavior among adolescent school children of Moradabad city, Uttar Pradesh

Introduction: Oral health is an essential component of health throughout life. This study was done to assess the caries status, oral health behaviour and risk correlate in adolescent school children in Moradabad city, Uttar Pradesh, India. Methodology: 512 twelve year old school children (256 private and 256 government) were selected through multistage random sampling procedure. Dental caries were assessed using Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth (DMFT) / Decayed, Missing, Filled Surface (DMFS) index. Results: The mean DMFT/DMFS among private school children (1.90±1.46/3.24±3.18) was higher than the government school children (1.54±1.34/2.22±2.42) and the difference was found to be statistically significant. The study revealed that 26.95% of the private and 19.53% of the government school children brushed their teeth regularly (twice a day) with tooth brush and tooth paste. The participants also consumed sweets (34.77% of the private school children and 25% of govt. school children) and tea/coffee with sugar (61.33% of the private schoolchildren and 54.29% of the government schoolchildren) at least once in a day. Dental visits of both private and government school children were poor. Conclusion: The information obtained from the study can be used for oral health program planning for children to prevent oral disease and promoting oral health, the local health authorities should give priority to school based community-oriented oral health care services.