Prevalence of common oral health problems among school going children aged 12-15 years in a rural block of Haryana: a cross-sectional study

Authors

  • Ankesh Poonia Department of Community Medicine, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1910-3037
  • Seema Sharma Department of Community Medicine, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4918-7635
  • Anoop Grover Department of Dentistry, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India
  • Annu Yadav Department of Community Medicine, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8450-9064
  • Akshay Kumar Department of Community Medicine, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India
  • Nikhil Sheoran Department of Radiodiagnosis, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263204

Keywords:

Dental caries, Fluorosis, Oral health problems, School children

Abstract

Background: Oral diseases among children are a significant public health problem as it can affect the physical, mental and social dimensions of the individual. It can adversely affect the attendance and performance of the child in schools and attendance of the parent in the workplace as well. To estimate the prevalence of oral health problems among school going children aged 12-15 years in a rural block of Haryana.

Methods: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted in government middle and high school. A pre-designed and pre-tested proforma was used for collecting the information. Oral examination was carried out under daylight using a mouth mirror, oral probe and torch (when required), with the child in a sitting position within the school premises in the presence of school authorities. Data was analyzed by using percentages.

Results: Dental caries (48%) emerged as the most common condition, followed by deposits on tooth (46.1%) and fluorosis (43.6%). Other conditions included dental aches (13.8%), foul smell (10.8%), interdental spacing (4.7%), retained deciduous teeth (2.7%), fractured teeth (2.2%), tongue problems (1.6%) and gum problems (0.8%).

Conclusions: The overall pattern indicates a substantial burden of preventable oral conditions among school going adolescents.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Seema Sharma, Department of Community Medicine, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India

Professor, Department of Community Medicine

References

Swasticharan L, Mohanty UK. Children’s Oral Health in National Oral Health Policy and Program of India. Journal of South Asian Asso Pediatric Dentistry. 2018;1;1(2):31-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10077-3009

Batra P, Saini P, Yadav V. Oral health concerns in India. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2020;1;10(2):171-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2020.04.011

Kaur P, Singh S, Mathur A, Makkar DK, Aggarwal VP, Batra M, Sharma A, et al. Impact of dental disorders and its influence on self esteem levels among adolescents. JCDR. 2017;11(4):5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2017/23362.9515

Sukhabogi J, Shekar C, Hameed I, Ramana I, Sandhu G. Oral health status among 12- and 15-year-old children from government and private schools in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Ann Med Health Sci Research. 2014;4(9):272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/2141-9248.141971

Zhang Z, Wang D, Zhao J, Wang D, Zhang B. Assessment of oral health status and related factors in adolescents aged 12-15 years in the Gansu Province of China: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Oral Health. 2023;23(1):42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-023-02748-y

Pandey P, Nandkeoliar T, Tikku AP, Singh D, Singh MK. Prevalence of dental caries in the Indian population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry. 2021;11(3):256. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_42_21

Kumar S, Kumar A, Badiyani B, Kumar A, Basak D, Ismail MB. Oral health impact, dental caries experience and associated factors in 12–15-year-old schoolchildren in India. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2017;27(4):451–8.

Sirigala L, Ramani P, Ramalingam K. Prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis among school children in rural areas of YSR Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Cureus. 2023;15(12):51288. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.51288

Kuzhali S, Kalyani P, Felix AJW. Prevalence of dental caries among 13 and 14 years of school going children in urban Chidambaram: a cross sectional study. International J Comm Med Public Health. 2020;7(12):5000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20204976

Garkoti PD, Singh RK, Rawat CM, Pandey S. Prevalence of dental caries among primary school children of Haldwani: a cross sectional study. J Evol Med Dent Sci. 2015;4(41):7096-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14260/jemds/2015/1032

Arora G, Bhateja S. Prevalence of dental caries, periodontitis and oral hygiene status among 12-year-old schoolchildren having normal occlusion and malocclusion in Mathura city: a comparative epidemiological study. Indian J Dent Res. 2015;26(1):48–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-9290.156801

Arangannal P, Mahadev SK, Jayaprakash J. Prevalence of dental caries among school children in Chennai based on ICDAS II. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(4):9–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/14731.7523

Singh AB, Prasuna JG, Mehra P, Rasania SK. Common Oral Health Problems and Related Health Seeking Behavior among Young Adolescents in an Urban Resettlement Colony, East Delhi, India. Ind J Youth Adol Health. 2018;5(3):68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.201813

Gupta B, Vijayakumar N, Shobha M, Reddy C, Priyadarshini HR. Prevalence of dental caries among 12- and 15-years old school children in government schools of Marathahalli area of Bangalore city. J Indian Assoc Public Health Dent. 2013;11(1):1–5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/2319-5932.167518

Praveena S, Thippeswamy HM, Nanditha K, Chakravarthy PK. Relationship of oral hygiene practices and dental caries among school children of Sullia Taluk, Karnataka, South India. Glob J Med Res. 2013;13(2):1–8.

Hussaini SMA, Bendigiri NAD, Swati IA. A study on the dental problems of school children. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2016;3(5):1090-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20161363

Sun L, Wong HM, McGrath CPJ. The factors that influence oral health-related quality of life in 15-year-old children. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2018;16:19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-0847-5

Aa JO, Mr J. Prevalence of dental health problems among school going children in rural Kerala. J Indian soc pedo prev dent. 2003;21(4):147-51.

Parasuraman G, Gowtham Krishna Y, Kaviya M, Jain NA, Rajendran P, Dutta R. A study on the prevalence of dental caries among the school-going children in Tamil Nadu. Int J Comm Med Public Health. 2017;22;4(10):3582. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20174122

Shyam R, Manjunath BC, Kumar A, Narang R, Rani G, Singh S. Prevalence of dental fluorosis and treatment needs among 11-14 years old school children in endemic fluoride areas of Haryana, India. Indian J Dental Res. 2021;1;32(1):110-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_835_18

Shetty P, Shamala A, Murali R, Mansi Y, Srivastava R, Debnath A. Dental fluorosis and oral health status of 13–15 years old schoolchildren of Chikkaballapur district: a cross-sectional study. J Indian Assoc Public Health Dent. 2017;15(2):140–4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_45_17

Chandrashekar J, Palshikar K. Prevalence of dental fluorosis in rural areas of Davangere, India. Int Dent J. 2004;54(5):235–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1875-595X.2004.tb00287.x

Baskaradoss JK, Roger C, Narayanan A. Prevalence of dental fluorosis and associated risk factors in 11–15-year-old schoolchildren of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India: a cross-sectional survey. Indian J Dent Res. 2008;19(4):297–302. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-9290.44531

Saravanan S, Kalyani C, Vijayarani MP, Jayakodi P, Felix AJW, Nagarajan S, et al. Prevalence of dental fluorosis among primary school children in rural areas of Chidambaram taluk, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Indian J Community Med. 2008;33(3):146–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.42047

Downloads

Published

2026-08-31

How to Cite

Poonia, A., Sharma, S., Grover, A., Yadav, A., Kumar, A., & Sheoran, N. (2026). Prevalence of common oral health problems among school going children aged 12-15 years in a rural block of Haryana: a cross-sectional study. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 13(9), 5192–5196. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263204

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles