Assessment of oral health status among school students in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu, India: A cross-sectional survey

Background: Oral health is becoming increasingly essential for improving one›s quality of life in India as the population›s life expectancy increases. Many oral and orofacial diseases affect students, notably dental caries, gingivitis, malocclusion, and dental fluorosis. This study aimed to examine the oral health condition of school students in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among school students aged 5–17. Two government and two private schools within the Tiruvannamalai district were chosen using the cluster random sampling method, and 5282 students participated in the study. The World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment was used to determine the oral health status of school students. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and median tests were used to analyze the data. Post-hoc analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test was also performed for the dmft/DMFT index. The chi-square test was used to compare the proportions of gingivitis, malocclusion, and dental fluorosis. The P value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was a 3:2 male-to-female ratio among the study participants. Dental caries, gingivitis, malocclusion, and dental fluorosis were found to be 63%, 37.1%, 8.4%, and 3.7%, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference in dental caries (P=0.001), gingivitis (P=0.001), and malocclusion (P=0.001). However, they showed no significant difference in dental fluorosis (P=0.732) of primary, middle, and high school populations attending government and private schools in the Tiruvannamalai district. Conclusion: By assessing the oral health examination of school students in the Tiruvannamalai district, the risk for dental caries was found to be higher in primary than middle and high school populations, while high school students had a higher prevalence of gingivitis, malocclusion, and dental fluorosis than middle and primary school students.