Oral health behaviour of 12‐year‐old children in Kuwait

Abstract

Objectives. The objectives of the study were: (1) to describe the pattern of oral health behaviour of 12‐year‐old children in Kuwait, (2) to analyse this in relation to parental education, dental visiting habits and location, and (3) to establish a baseline for planning and evaluation of an oral health care programme for secondary schoolchildren. Design. Cross‐sectional, interviews with children in 1995. Sample and methods. The sample included 500 12‐year‐old schoolchildren (250 boys and 250 girls) selected from schools in Kuwait. All the children agreed to take part. Interviews with the children were carried out in the schools by four trained and calibrated Arabic speaking interviewers. Results. During the previous 12 months, 28% of the children had experienced oral health problems – toothache (10%), or had felt discomfort (18%) either often or occassionally. The children reported that they needed oral hygiene instruction (71%), fillings (32%) and tooth extraction (23%). For 53% of the children the reason for the most recent visit to a dentist was pain or problems with teeth or gums. At their last dental visit 26% of the children had undergone a tooth extraction. The consumption of sugary foods and drinks was extremely high. Children who had visited a dentist within the last 12 months and children whose parents had higher education levels more often claimed frequent toothbrushing than those with no previous dental visiting experience and those whose parents had a low level of education. Conclusions. Oral health education and oral health care programmes should be established in secondary schools in Kuwait to influence the oral health behaviour of the children and to avoid further deterioration in their oral health.