ORAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTOF ORPHANAGE RAISED AND FAMILY RAISED CHILDREN OF LUCKNOW CITY: A CROSS- SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Despite sufficient support, lack of parental care make orphanage raised children vulnerable to various health and psychological problems. Health problems like nutritional deficiencies, compromised oral health and various psychological conditions are the common problems in these children. Considering the various problems faced by orphanage raised children the study is designed to better assess the facts and status of oral health and quality of life in these children. Aims & Objective: 1. To assess and compare the oral health status in orphanage raised and family raised children of Lucknow City. 2.To compare BMI and correlate with oral health among these children. Methodology:Eight Hundred Seventy children (342 Family raised and 528 Orphanage raised) were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria in the study, after obtaining written consent and institutional ethical approval. Comprehensive oral examination was done according to WHO criteria. Results: Results showed statistically significant poor oral hygiene, higher DMFT score and lower BMI in orphanages raised children. There was no correlation between BMI and DMFT /OHI scores in both the groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study highlights the compromised oral health status of orphanage children compared to family-raised children.