Oral Hygiene Risk Indicators Among 6- to 9-Year-Old Taiwanese Aboriginal Children

Abstract

This study investigated the dental health status, dietary habits, oral hygiene levels, and caretaker risk indicators among Taiwanese children. This cross-sectional purposive sampling study included 256 aboriginal children, 6 to 9 years old, living in remote regions in southern Taiwan. Participants received dental examinations, and questionnaires were completed by caretakers. Data were analyzed using the χ2 test, t test, and multiple logistic regressions. The deft (sum of decayed, extracted, and filled primary teeth) and defs (sum of the decayed, extracted, and filled primary dentition surfaces) indices were affected by the frequencies of drinking sweetened beverages ( P = .0006) and daily toothbrushing ( P = .0032). Caretakers’ toothbrushing frequency was a significant predictor of children’s oral hygiene status ( P < .0001). The odds ratio for children of caretakers with betel quid chewing habits having poor oral hygiene was 2.04 ( P = .0184). Oral hygiene among aboriginal children in this study was inadequate. Caretakers’ toothbrushing frequency and betel quid habit were significant predictors of poor children’s oral hygiene.