Risk behaviors and its association with caries activity and dental caries in Japanese children

The aim of this study was to assess risk behaviors and its association with caries activity and dental caries in Japanese children. The subjects were 392 young Japanese children who underwent dental health check-up at 18, 30 and 42 months of age. Oral examinations, Cariostat tests and dental health questionnaires were carried out at each time. The caries prevalence of children was 1.5% at 18 months, 9.9% at 30 months and 28.1% at 42 months. Caries activity based on the Cariostat scores of children was correlated with caries status (caries-free/carious) at 42 months. In children with caries during each examination period at 42 months, eating snacks while playing was ranked as the most important behavioral risk (P < 0.001), followed by breast-feeding (P < 0.01), non setting of time for snacks (P < 0.05) and frequency of snacks (P < 0.05) at 18 months old; non brushing by mother (P < 0.05) and eating snacks while playing (P < 0.05) were ranked highest at 30 months old. In addition, eating snacks while playing (P < 0.001) at 42 months old was the only a significant factor for children with caries. Caries activity and risk behaviors were associated with caries experience at different age periods of childhood.     

Meta-analysis of teeth from European populations before and after the 18th century reveals a shift towards increased prevalence of caries and tooth loss

Based on single studies, it has been hypothesised that Europeans have suffered less frequently from caries before the 18th century than after the 18th century and that females have higher caries prevalence, but systematic European-wide overviews are sparse.We collected published data on dental diseases (publication between 1981 and 2015 with reports on 29 cohorts with 4998 individuals and a total of 85817 teeth).Meta-analyses revealed that, over several hundred years, including the post-18th century era, Europeans had relatively constant frequencies of caries and ante-mortem tooth loss, but since the 18th century, the mean frequencies of these dental diseases increased (each p < 0.05). Tooth loss correlated with caries and odontogenic abscesses (each p < 0.05). Although the mean caries and ante-mortem tooth loss frequencies increased since the 18th century, there are overlaps with many pre-18th century cohorts. In addition, in contrast to previous hypotheses, no general increase of caries prevalence in females could in fact be verified.It is likely that changes in nutrition (more sugar) and dental health (possibly higher frequency of tooth extraction) could be the underlying factors which led to this minor to moderate shift of dental disease frequencies in Europe.     

A Study of dental caries prevalence in 12–14 year old school children in Ibadan,Nigeria

The aim of the study was to determine dental caries prevalence among a representative sample of 12–14 year old school children in Ibadan, Nigeria with a view of determining Restorative Index and Met Need Index of the studied population. Dental caries was diagnosed according to the WHO method. Out of the 577 children in the age group, 65 children (11.2%) had dental caries experience as expressed with the DMFT index. More than 85% of the children were caries free. A mode of one DMFT was the highest score for the children although a 14-year-old pupil had DMFT score of 6. Female children had higher mean DMFT score of 2.03 ± 1.13 compared with 1.78 ± 1.0 for males (P > 0.05). The Restorative Index (RI) and Met Need Index (MNI) for the children were very low as only the 14-year-old children had an RI of 3.45% and MNI of 0.11. Restorative Index reflects the restorative care of those who have suffered the disease and it is measured as a ratio of filled to filled plus decayed teeth percent that is F/F+D percent. Met Need Index is an indication of treatment received by an individual and it is measured by the ratio of the mean missing plus filled teeth to mean decayed, missing and filled teeth that is M+F/DMF. Since cost of management, which may be out of the reach of these children, has been identified as one of the factors militating against their receiving treatment, the result of this study suggest that oral health education with emphasis on correcting snacking habits of school children is desirable.     

Prevalence of dental caries among 12–14 year old children in Qatar

BackgroundTo ensure the oral health of a population, clinicians must deliver appropriate dental services, and local communities need to have access to dental care facilities. However, establishment of this infrastructure must be based on reliable information regarding disease prevalence and severity in the target population.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to measure the incidence of dental caries in school children aged 12–14 throughout Qatar, including the influence of socio-demographic factors.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Qatar from October 2011 to March 2012. A total of 2113 children aged 12–14 were randomly selected from 16 schools located in different geographic areas. Three calibrated examiners using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria to diagnose dental caries performed the clinical examinations. Data analyses were subsequently conducted.ResultsThe mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth index values were respectively 4.62 (±3.2), 4.79 (±3.5), and 5.5 (±3.7), for 12, 13, and 14 year-old subjects. Caries prevalence was 85%. The mandibular incisors and canines were least affected by dental caries, while maxillary and mandibular molars exhibited the highest incidence of dental caries. Dental caries were affected by socio-demographic factors; significant differences were detected between female and male children, where more female children showed dental caries than male children. In addition, children residing in semi-urban areas showed more dental caries than in urban areas.ConclusionResults indicated that dental caries prevalence among school children in Qatar has reached critical levels, and is influenced by socio-demographic factors. The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth values obtained in this study were the second highest detected in the Eastern Mediterranean region.     

The association of Enamelin,Lactoferrin, and Tumour necrosis factor alpha gene polymorphisms with high caries susceptibility in Chinese children under 4 years old

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the role of ENAM rs3796703, LTF rs1126478, and TNF-α rs1800629 in high caries susceptibility.DesignThe present case–control study included 1005 unrelated children under 4 years old: 505 with severe caries (dmft index ≥4) and 500 who were caries-free (dmft index = 0 and without white-spot lesions). Questionnaires were obtained from parents and gardians about the children’s diet and oral behavioural habits. All the children received dental examinations and oral swabbing for human genomic DNA collection. ENAM rs3796703, LTF rs1126478, and TNF-α rs1800629 were genotyped by Sanger sequencing.ResultsThe frequency of the ENAM rs3796703 T allele (6.7% in the caries group and 4.2% in the caries-free group), CT genotype (12.7% in the caries group and 8.4% in the caries-free group), TNF-α rs1800629 A allele (4.8% in the caries group and 6.8% in the caries-free group), and AG genotype (8.7% in the caries group and 13.2% in the caries-free group) were significantly different between the caries and caries-free groups (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the LTF rs1126478 allele frequency and genotype distribution between the two groups. The ENAM rs3796703 CT genotype increased caries susceptibility by 60.9% compared to the CC genotype (β = 0.746, OR = 1.609), and the TNF-α rs1800629 AG genotype reduced caries susceptibility by 47.4% compared to the GG genotype (β = −0.642, OR = 0.526). In terms of habits covariates, prolongation of night feeding time by 1 month increased caries susceptibility by 3.3% (β = 0.033, OR = 1.033); additionally, sweets and acidic drinks consumption 1–2 times per day increased caries susceptibility by 218.2% (β = 1.158, OR = 3.182), and consumption 3 or more times pe/r day increased susceptibility by 883.5% (β = 2.286, OR = 9.835) compared to non-consumption. Topical fluoride application decreased caries susceptibility by 43.0% (β = −0.562, OR = 0.570).ConclusionsThe ENAM and TNF-α genes are likely associated with caries experience in Chinese children. The ENAM rs3796703 CT genotype might be involved in caries susceptibility, while TNF-α rs1800629 AG genotype might be involved in caries protection.     

Risk behaviors and their association with presence of S.mutans or S.sobrinus and caries activity in 18-month-old Japanese children

The purpose of this study was to investigate risk behaviors associated with the presence of S. mutans or S. sobrinus and caries activity. The subjects were 448 mother-child pairs who underwent dental health examinations between February 2004 and November 2004 when the children were 18 months old. Caries activity was assessed by the Cariostat test. The presence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus was detected using PCR techniques. Questionnaires regarding risk behaviors were completed by the mothers. A statistically significant correlation was found for the detection of S. mutans and/or S. sobrinus in children and mothers (P < 0.01). High-risk mothers were more likely to have high-risk children (P < 0.001). In children in whom bacteria were detected, breast-feeding was ranked as the most important risk factor (P < 0.01), followed by eating snacks while playing (P < 0.01), getting snacks from neighbors (P < 0.05), being cared for by grandparents (P < 0.05) and pre-chewing of children's food by mothers (P < 0.05). In children with high caries risk, breast-feeding and pre-chewing were the most important risk factors (P < 0.01), followed by taking meals at irregular intervals and mothers not attending maternity classes (P < 0.05).     

Identification of chromosomal region(s) influencing initial dental caries susceptibility in mice

Predicting the host genetic factors influencing dental caries susceptibility is important to developing preventive strategies in individuals. In this study, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis was used to identify the candidate regions for gene(s) influencing initial dental caries susceptibility in mice, and that performed on genetic crosses of BALB/cJ and C3H/HeJ mice. Two significant QTLs on chromosomes 7 and 11 and five suggestive QTLs on chromosomes 3, 8, 16 and 17 were detected. Around the region 50 cM on Chromosome 7 and 46 cM on chromosome 11, the likelihood ratio statistic (LRS) scores showed higher than significant levels. Around 52.5 cM on chromosome 3, 38.4 cM on chromosome 8, 38.0 cM on chromosome 16, and 6.5 cM and 44.5 cM on chromosome 17, LRS scores showed higher than suggestive levels. Based on these results, it is suggested that the candidate gene(s) responsible for dental caries are located in the specified regions of six chromosomes, chromosomes 7 and 11 in particular are associated with initial dental caries.     

Antimicrobial peptides in saliva of children with severe early childhood caries

ObjectiveControversies exist regarding the relationship between the concentrations of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and presence of dental caries in children. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine levels of AMPs in saliva of caries-free (CF), early childhood caries (ECC) and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) children to determine if the levels of these salivary peptides individually or in combinations were related to caries severity and mutans streptococci levels.Design36 to 60 month-old children were selected to participate in this study. Children were grouped into CF group (n = 29), ECC group (n = 25) and S-ECC group (n = 29). Saliva was collected from children for microbiological analysis by culture. Salivary concentrations of cathelicidin LL-37, human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2), human β-defensin 3 (hBD-3) and histatin-5 (HTN-5) were determined by ELISA.ResultsSalivary concentrations of AMPs did not differ among CF, ECC and S-ECC groups. Data showed positive correlations between mutans streptococci levels and salivary hBD-2 or HTN-5. Positive correlations were found between hBD-2, hBD-3, LL-37 and HTN-5. Combinations among AMPs, mainly LL-37, were positively associated with caries levels.ConclusionsSalivary concentrations of AMPs individually were not associated with the severity of early childhood caries. The stimulus of caries appears to trigger a biological response, however, with a combination of these peptides.     

Association study for the role of Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 3 gene polymorphisms in dental caries susceptibility

ObjectiveVarious exogenous and endogenous risk factors have been described as contributing to dental caries susceptibility. In the last decade it has been established that both pro and active forms of host derived Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are present in the oral cavity. MMPs role in caries development has been hypothesized. The aim of this study was to analyse MMP2 (rs2287074) and MMP3 (rs679620) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their role in caries susceptibility.DesignThe two SNPs were analysed by PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in a sample of 102 ethnic Bulgarian volunteers (42 males and 60 females), all students in Sofia Medical University.ResultsStatistical analysis of the MMP2 SNP showed significant differences for the genotype frequencies between the caries free (CF, DMFT = 0) and low caries experience (LCE, DMFT ≤ 5) groups. Analysis for the non-synonymous MMP3 SNP found significant differences between both CF vs caries experience groups (LCE+ high caries experience (HCE, DMFT ≥ 5)) and LCE vs HCE groups. The presence of allele G decreased the risk of HCE about 4 times.ConclusionsMMP2 and MMP3 genes are likely to be involved in caries susceptibility in our population. However, as dental caries is a multifactorial disorder and several genes are likely to have influence on it, it is reasonable to expect that SNPs, even those proven to be functional like rs679620, potentially play a significant, but not major role in the disease outcome.     

Oral health conditions in children with and without school-based oral preventive program

ObjectivesTo assess the degree of plaque, gingivitis and caries in children who either did or did not take part in a regular oral preventive program, thus establishing an overview of the oral health condition of those populations.MethodsA population of 325 Brazilian children aged 8–12 years old, from two public schools, whose parents granted permission, were divided into two groups according to their school. The main group (G1) consisted of 203 children from the school, which has the preventive program, while the control group (G2) consisted of 122 children from the school without the program. The children were examined clinically by a single examiner to assess plaque and gingival status, as well as caries prevalence in order to assess their oral health status. Data was inserted in SPSS 11.0 and the Mann-Whitney test with a significance level of 5% was used for data analyses of the independent variables, while the Student t test was used for comparison between averages.ResultsThe mean plaque score and mean gingival bleeding score of G2 were higher than G1 (P< 0.05). Regarding the percentage of caries-free children, it was 31.0% with a mean DMFT+dmft of 2.07 (± 2.87) in G1 and 21.3% with a mean DMFT+dmft of 3.03 (± 2.79) in G2 (P> 0.05).ConclusionIt was concluded that the oral preventive program seemed to demonstrate a satisfactory impact on the oral health condition of the target children when compared to the ones who were not enrolled in a school-based program.     

Quantitative assessment of salivary oral bacteria according to the severity of dental caries in childhood

This study aimed to assess differences in selected oral bacteria in children according to the severity of dental caries. One hundred and thirty-six children, 36–60 months old were divided into three groups according to caries status: caries-free (CF) (n = 47), early childhood caries (ECC) (n = 40) and severe-early childhood caries (S-ECC) (n = 49). Saliva was collected for detection and quantification of selected oral streptococci, Actinomyces naeslundii, Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and Scardovia wiggsiae by quantitative-polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that the detection and quantitative levels of S. mutans, S. sobrinus, Bifidobacterium spp. and S. wiggsiae were significantly higher in S-ECC children compared to CF and ECC children, while for S. salivarius were significantly higher in CF compared to ECC and S-ECC children. There was no statistical difference among the clinical groups for S. mitis, S. oralis, A. naeslundii and Lactobacillus spp. levels and detection. S-ECC children had a lower monthly family income, started tooth brushing later and were breastfeed for a longer duration compared to CF children. S. mutans levels were positively correlated with S. wiggsiae and Bifidobacterium spp. levels, lower mother’s education and child bottle-feeding before sleeping and negatively correlated with S. salivarius. It was concluded that in addition to S. mutans, other bacterial species, including bifidobacteria, Scardovia wiggsiae and S. sobrinus, are associated with severity of early childhood caries, although their role in the progress of dental caries remains unclear.     

The effect of dietary intervention on paraffin-stimulated saliva and dental health of children participating in a randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesThe aim was to study the impact of dietary intervention on the properties of paraffin-stimulated saliva, and on dental caries.Study designAt 7 months of age 1062 infants (540 intervention; 522 controls) started in the prospective, randomized Special Turku Intervention Project (STRIP) aimed at restricting the child's saturated fat and cholesterol intake to prevent atherosclerosis of adult age (www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT 00223600). At 3 years of age, every fifth child was invited to an oral sub-study, and 148 (78 boys) children attended. At 6, 9, 12 and 16 years of age 135, 127, 114 and 88 children were restudied, respectively. Dietary intakes of carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, calcium, phosphate, and fibre were regularly recorded using 4-day food records. Height and weight were regularly monitored. Paraffin-stimulated saliva samples were collected at 6, 9, 12 and 16 years of age, and analyzed for flow rate, buffer capacity, calcium, phosphate and proteins. Dental health was recorded and expressed as d₃mft/D₃MFT, and as time of caries onset.ResultsDietary intakes of calcium, phosphate and fibre, and salivary flow rate increased with time in both groups (p < 0.001, GLM for repeated measures). Fibre intake and salivary flow rate were higher in the intervention than in the control group (p = 0.042 and p = 0.0394, respectively, GLM for repeated measures). There were no correlations between dietary intakes and salivary concentrations of calcium or phosphate. Children who did not have caries experience (d₃mft/D₃MFT = 0) during the entire follow-up had higher salivary calcium than those who had caries already at 3 years of age. The association between salivary calcium and caries onset was significant up to 12 years of age. Toothbrushing frequency was statistically significantly associated with caries-onset at ages 6 (gamma statistic 0.457, p = 0.046) and 12 years (gamma statistic 0.473, p = 0.019).ConclusionsThe current long-term dietary intervention increased children's paraffin-stimulated salivary flow rate. The concentration of salivary calcium was directly correlated to dental health. Higher salivary flow rate in the intervention group is believed to be due to higher fibre intake in the intervention group.     

Breastfeeding pattern and eruption of primary teeth in Nigerian children

Various aspects of human growth and development have been reported to be adversely affected by malnutrition in early life. Opinion is still divided regarding the role of nutritional status in dental development. The study was carried out to determine the effect of breastfeeding pattern on the eruption times of primary teeth. The study population consisted of 1,013 clinically healthy babies, infants and preschool children between the ages 4–36 months who visited the immunization clinics at the Community Health Centres in Ife Central and Ife East Local Government Areas. Primary teeth erupted earlier in children who were exclusively breastfed when compared to those who were partially breastfed (P < 0.05). In most ages (months) children who were exclusively breastfed had more number of erupted teeth compared to those partially breastfed (P < 0.05). Within the limitation of this study, children who were exclusively breastfed had lower mean age of emergence in eighteen out of twenty teeth than those partially breastfed with ten teeth being statistically significant, showing that nutrition may play an important role in the emergence of primary teeth.     

Presence of Streptococcus mutans or Streptococcus sobrinus in Cariostat®-inoculated plaque samples from Japanese mother-child pairs

The aim of this study was to determine the presence of Streptococcus mutans or Streptococcus sobrinus in Cariostat-inoculated plaque samples obtained from Japanese mother-child pairs through a conventional PCR technique and to establish the presence of these bacteria and caries risk. Oral examination and caries risk assessment using the Cariostat^® were carried out on 168 children, aged 6–31 months, and their mothers. The presence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus in Cariostat-inoculated plaque samples was checked through PCR and tested for relevance with caries risk. A significant correlation (P < 0.001) was found between caries risk of mothers and presence of S. mutans or S. sobrinus in plaque samples from their children in the 19–31-month-old age range. However, no significant relationship found between the presence of either strain in the plaque of younger children (6–18 months) and caries risk of mothers. Likewise, high caries risk was seen in 49.1% of the 19–31-month-old children of highrisk mothers (P < 0.001) and 27% of the 6–18-month-old children of high-risk mothers (P < 0.05). The effectiveness of the Cariostat method for prediction of caries risk can be improved by detecting the presence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus in plaque samples obtained from mothers and their children through conventional PCR techniques.     

A randomized controlled trial by the 3DS for dental caries

The aim of this study is to evaluate the povidone-iodine for the suppression of oral cariogenic bacteria and compare its effects to that of fluoride in children. We carried out a randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of povidone-iodine to those for sodium fluoride. Pre-school children (n = 210) with more than 10⁵ cfu/ml mutans streptococci in their stimulated saliva were randomly sampled and randomly allocated into three groups. We planned the preventive program by 3DS (Dental Drag Delivery System). The groups that provided preventive programs were the povidone-iodine group (n = 70) and the sodium fluoride group (n = 70). A control group (n = 70) received no intervention. Povidone-iodine or sodium fluoride was applied to the tooth surface using custom made trays. Subsequent home care was obligatory for one month. After one month, the salivary levels of mutans streptococci were low level when compared to the based data. However the difference in salivary levels of mutans streptococci among groups was not statistically significant when comparing the povidone-iodine group with the sodium fluoride group (P = 0.625). After 2.5 years follow up, differences in incidence of new dental caries among the three groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.583). Clinical application of anti-microbial drugs may be effective, but only a single intervention is not sufficient to reduce the incidence of new dental caries.     

Detection of mutans streptococci in plaque samples from Mongolian preschool and school children

Mutans streptococci, in particular Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, are generally considered to be the principal microbial pathogen of dental caries. The objective of the study was to isolate S. mutans and S. sobrinus, identify them by PCR, and to compare their presence with the caries status and caries risk in Mongolian preschool and school children. Forty one preschool children aged 3–5 years and 40 school children aged 12–15 years were enrolled in this study. As assessed using Cariostat test, 75.6% of preschool children had high caries risk and 37.5% of school children had high caries risk. In preschool children, the prevalence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus were 100% and 36.6%, respectively; 63.4% were positive for S. mutans alone and 36.6% were positive for both S. mutans and S. sobrinus. In school children, the prevalence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus were 100% and 25.0%, respectively; 75.0% carried S. mutans alone and 25.0% had both S. mutans and S. sobrinus. The percentage of children positive for both S. mutans and S. sobrinus in the high caries risk group were significantly higher than those in the low risk group of either preschool (42.0% vs. 10.0%, P< 0.001) or school children (46.6% vs. 12.0%, P<0.001). Moreover, the caries status of children positive for both S. mutans and S. sobrinus were significantly higher than those positive for S. mutans alone (P< 0.01 for preschool children, and P< 0.05 for school children).     

Salivary antioxidants and oral health in children with autism

Individuals with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviours. Autistic children have preferences for soft and sweetened food making them susceptible to caries. A wide spectrum of medical and behavioural symptoms is exhibited by children with autism, which makes routine dental care very difficult in them. Mental retardation is evident in approximately 70% of individuals with autism and most psychiatric disorders including autism are associated with increased oxidative stress.ObjectivesTo evaluate the oral health status of children with autism and to determine the salivary pH and total salivary antioxidant concentration (TAC).Materials and methods101 subjects with autism between age group of 6 and 12 year were part of the study and 50 normal healthy siblings of same age group were taken as control group. Oral health status was analysed using oral hygiene index-simplified and dentition status index. The salivary total anti-oxidant level was estimated using phosphomolybdic acid using spectrophotometric method and the salivary pH using the pH indicating paper. The results were statistically analyzed using Mann–Whitney U test.ResultsA statistically very highly significant difference was seen in the mean oral hygiene index scores (autistic group – 1.2 and control group – 1, P < 0.001) and the mean salivary total antioxidant concentration (autistic group – 5.7 μg/ml and control group – 38 μg/ml, P < 0.001). No statistical significant difference was observed in the dental caries status and the salivary pH of autistic group and the control group.ConclusionsSimilar dental caries status was observed in children with autism and their healthy normal siblings. Oral hygiene was poor in children with autism whereas the Salivary TAC was significantly reduced in autistic children.     

Relationship between the IgA antibody response against Streptococcus mutans GbpB and severity of dental caries in childhood

ObjectiveExplore the associations between the severity of dental caries in childhood, mutans streptococci (MS) levels and IgA antibody response against Streptococcus mutans GbpB. Moreover, other caries-related etiological factors were also investigated.Design36–60 month-old children were grouped into Caries-Free (CF, n = 19), Early Childhood Caries (ECC, n = 17) and Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC, n = 21). Data from socio-economic-cultural status, oral hygiene habits and dietary patterns were obtained from a questionnaire and a food-frequency diary filled out by parents. Saliva was collected from children for microbiological analysis and detection of salivary IgA antibody reactive with S. mutans GbpB in western blot.ResultsS-ECC children had reduced family income compared to those with ECC and CF. There was difference between CF and caries groups (ECC and S-ECC) in MS counts. Positive correlations between salivary IgA antibody response against GbpB and MS counts were found when the entire population was evaluated. When children with high MS counts were compared, S-ECC group showed significantly lower IgA antibody levels to GbpB compared to CF group. This finding was not observed for the ECC group.ConclusionsThis study suggests that children with S-ECC have reduced salivary IgA immune responses to S. mutans GbpB, potentially compromising their ability to modify MS infection and its cariogenic potential. Furthermore, a reduced family income and high levels of MS were also associated with S-ECC.     

Smoking among dental students at King Saud University: Consumption patterns and risk factors

ObjectiveTo assess smoking prevalence among dental students at King Saud University (KSU) and to determine possible risk factors of tobacco use.MethodsA self-addressed invitation letter was sent to all dental students (males and females) at KSU requesting participation in this study. Data on smoking habits, associated risk factors, and demographic factors, such as age, marital status, residency status, the student’s year of study, and grade point average, were collected by an electronic self-administered questionnaire sent via email. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Significant differences between different groups were assessed with a Pearson Chi-Square test at α = 0.05. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and to determine the effect of different risk factors on students’ smoking habits.ResultsOf the 600 registered dental students, 400 students responded (230 males, 170 females), representing a response rate of 67%. More male than female students were current smokers (27.6% vs. 2.4%, p < 0.001). Most smokers used shisha tobacco only (N = 35, 51.5%), followed by both shisha tobacco and cigarettes (N = 17, 25%), or cigarettes only (N = 16, 23.5%). Male students were about 4 times more likely to be smokers if all or most of their friends were smokers compared to students who had some friends who smoked (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.9–7.7). A high proportion of current smokers (47.8%) reported stress as the main reason for smoking. Twenty-six percent of dental students (N = 87) who are currently nonsmokers reported that they have used tobacco at some point in their lives. Over two thirds of sampled students (63%) believed that public tobacco usage is not well addressed in the current college curriculum.ConclusionApproximately one in every four male dental students at KSU is a smoker. Having friends who are smokers was the most important risk factor associated with smoking. There is a general belief among dental students that public tobacco use is not well addressed in the dental college curriculum.     

Oral health comprehension in parents of Saudi cerebral palsy children

Objective

To determine oral health comprehension among parents of cerebral palsy (CP) children.