A Descriptive study on Impact of socioeconomic status on gingival health 15 year old school children

Abstract

Background: Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth and teeth clean to prevent dental problems, especially the common dental caries and gingivitis, and bad breath. There are oral pathologic conditions in which a good oral hygiene is required for healing and regeneration of the oral tissues. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between gingival health with socioeconomic status among  15 years old school going children of Lucknow city. Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The schools were selected by simple random sampling method following the lottery method of selection. The Gingival Index by Loe H and Silness J with Kuppuswamy’s  socioeconomic status scale has been used. Result: 63.2% of the children examined had gingivitis. Out of which, 43.6% had mild gingivitis, 32.3% had moderate gingivitis, and 24.1% had severe gingivitis. Further, the severity of GI score was higher in males (18.3%) than in females (10.5%). In particular, children from upper socioeconomic status were found to have significantly better gingival health (Mean GI = 0.46±0.29) than those children from middle or lower socioeconomic status groups. Conclusion: It was reported that as the socioeconomic status decreased, gingival health of the children deteriorated.