Data, methodological and referencing concerns in a cross-sectional study of oral health among preschool children attending Anganwadi centers

Sulagna Pattjoshi; Pratap Kumar Jena; Sabyasachi Shukla; Arpita Patel

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263673

Authors

Sulagna Pattjoshi School of Public Health, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Pratap Kumar Jena School of Public Health, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1236-3103
Sabyasachi Shukla School of Public Health, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0551-9577
Arpita Patel School of Public Health, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1801-6019

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263673

Keywords:

Anganwadi centers, Data, methodological and referencing concerns , Preschool children

Abstract

The cross-sectional study by Pullagurla et al, published in the International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, examined oral health status, dietary habits and parental perception among 202 preschool children attending Anganwadi centers in Vikarabad district. The topic is genuinely important: dental caries remains the most prevalent chronic disease of early childhood and data from rural Integrated Child Development Services settings are scarce. However, a close reading of the tables, methods and reference list reveals several internal inconsistencies that should be corrected before the findings inform practice or policy.

References

Pullagurla PR, Parthasarathi P, Mocherla M, Rao KY, Nitin AT. Oral health status, dietary habits and parental perception among preschool children aged 3-5 years attending Anganwadi Centers in Vikarabad district: a cross-sectional study. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2026;13(8):4188-92.

Sheiham A. Dietary effects on dental diseases. Public Health Nutr. 2001;4(2B):569-91.

Moynihan P. The role of diet in the prevention of dental diseases. J Dent. 2000;28(3):201-6.

Kish L. Survey Sampling. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1965.

Landis JR, Koch GG. The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics. 1977;33(1):159-74.

Ismail AI, Sohn W, Tellez M, Amaya A, Sen A, Hasson H, et al. The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS): an integrated system for measuring dental caries. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2007;35(3):170-8.

Avila WM, Pordeus IA, Paiva SM, Martins CC. Breast and bottle feeding as risk factors for dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):142922.

World Health Organization. Oral Health Surveys: Basic Methods. 5th ed. Geneva: WHO. 2013.