ORAL HEALTH AWARENESS AMONG TEENAGERS

Project report submitted to the department of biology, KV AFS Thanjavur in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the all India secondary school certificate
examinations in biology

By:

S.ARIYA CHANDRAN

(Class XII: 2023-24)

Kendriya vidyalaya

Air Force Station

Thanjavur
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that S.ARIYA CHANDRAN, student of Class XII, Kendriya

Vidyalaya AFS Thanjavur has completed the Project titled "ORAL HEALTH
AWARENESS AMONG TEENAGERS" during the academic Year 2023-2024
towards partial fulfillment of credit for the Biology Practical evaluation of CBSE
2023, and submitted satisfactory Report, as compiled in the following pages,
under my supervision Mr. Ayyappan, Department of Biology, Kendriya Vidyalaya
Air Force Station Thanjavur.

External signature Teacher In-charge signature

Thanjavur

Date:
 INDEX

S.NO TITLE PAGE NO.

1 Introduction
2 Objective
3 Materials and
methods
4 Result
5 Discussion
6 Conclusion
7 References
8 Sample
questionnaire

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I take great pleasure in expressing my heartfelt sentiments of gratitude to my

Guide, Mr.S.Ayyappan Post Graduate Teacher of BIOLOGY, Kendriya Vidyalaya
Air Force Station Thanjavur, for his able and inspiring guidance and support I
would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr S Ayyappan Principal-in-
Charge for having accorded permission to carry out the project Work My sincere
thanks are due to our parents who provided us all the facilities required to do
and complete the project successfully in time. We acknowledge the great help
rendered by one and all in one way or the other to bring this project work to a
complete shape
Thanjavur

Date: S.ARIYA CHANDRAN

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To assess the existing knowledge, attitude, and oral health care

practices among 14-17-year-old children and the association of
knowledge with attitude, oral health care practices, and dental visit
experience.
 INTRODUCTION

Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of

life. It encompasses a range of diseases and conditions that include
dental caries, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth loss, oral cancer, oro-
dental trauma, and birth defects such as cleft lip and palate. There is a
proven relationship between oral and general health. It is reported, for
example, that diabetes is linked with the development and progression
of periodontitis. Moreover, there is a causal link between high
consumption of sugars and diabetes, obesity and dental caries.
Oral health is one of the most unmet health care needs of adolescents
Oral disease can have a profound effect on overall health, including
pain, missed school, heart disease, etc. Adolescents have specific needs
pertaining to oral health in addition to the usual lifelong issues of caries
management, sports injury prevention, and dental referrals Teen years
are a higher risk time for oral piercings, increased sugar intake, nicotine
initiation. and orthodontic considerations. Adolescents need a unique
approach to motivate them about their oral health issues. This is
particularly important because lifelong health habits are created during
these formative years, and prevention opportunities for sealants and
varnish are only available at this age.

Schools are ideal settings in which to reach children and adolescents

and, through these children and adolescents, families and community
members. During childhood and adolescence, oral health behaviours
develop, along with beliefs and attitudes Children and adolescents are
receptive to new information, and the earlier healthy oral habits are
established, the greater their impact. Messages about achieving and
maintaining good oral health can be reinforced regularly the school
years. Encouraging children and adolescents to adopt healthy oral
health habits equips them with skills enabling them to make healthy
decisions and adopt healthy lifestyles.
 MATERIALS AND METHOD

All patients who fall in the age group of 14-18 years were considered as
potential participants for the study. Convenience sample of adolescent
patients were chosen from family and friends group. The questionnaire
was distributed in an anonymous format, and it was administered
online through Google Forms platform. The questionnaire began with a
brief explanation of the study's purposes and asked respondents to
answer as sincerely as possible. Complete was guaranteed to all
patients (No names or mail IDs were collected. The questionnaire is
attached in the end of the report. Total responses received were 51.
Snapshot of the responses screen of Google form attached below

Descriptive statistics like bar chart, pie chart were used to analyse and
understand the survey. The question wise result has been provided
below with its respective charts.

RESULTS

Table I shows the gender description of the survey respondents. 34

female and 41 male teenagers participated (F-45%, M- 55%). However
4 respondents did not mention their age during survey While analysing
the age wise respondents, maximum respondents both in female and
male group were of 17 years of age. (F-31%. M- 34%)
 DISCUSSION

Adolescence refers to the period of life between 10 and 19 years old.

according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. During this
phase of life, individuals are in constant biological, psychological and
social development, which make them more vulnerable and in need of
greater attention to health.

Teens experience evolving independence over their personal care. and

oral hygiene may become a lower priority. Moreover, teens are making
more choices about their diet, which may include a high consumption
of sugary foods and drinks Daily plaque removal through brushing and
flossing are beneficial in reducing caries. Although there are no robust
studies verifying the frequency of these interventions, expert opinion
recommends daily flossing and twice daily with a fluoridated
toothpaste to decrease plaque formation

Referring teens to a dental clinics is important for professional of

plaque and calculus at least twice a year. Radiographs can be taken to
identify early caries, which can lead to treating caries early with
restorations rather than delayed care leading to tooth extractions. It is
helpful to have knowledge of dental practices in your area that are
teen friendly to increase adherence to such referrals.

Furthermore, dental offices can reinforce prevention through

education and follow-up reminders for routine care.
Education is a key strategy in the process of forming attitudes that
promote and maintain health. Greater knowledge about health
promotes changes in attitudes and motivation about healthy
behaviours, increasing self-sufficiency to perform tasks, accelerating
results of interventions to promote health. Advising teens about oral
care is likely most effective when focused on the present rather than
the future. Practicing good oral hygiene, improving diet, and wearing
protective gear can enhance physical appearance and self-esteem.
Debunking myths such as genetic predisposition to caries and poor
dentation can show teens that they are in control of their own health.
Moreover, teens would probably appreciate that good oral hygiene will
give their parents one less thing to complain about.
 CONCLUSION

Oral health care practices and attitudes are not fully explained by
knowledge, and other models of health education need to be
considered. Despite the limited number of patients interviewed, the
present study produced some significant findings on oral hygiene
behavior both at home and at the dental office. Most respondents
claimed that they had their first visit to the dentist when aged between
5 and 9 years, which, according to the literature, seems to be too late.
The majority of teenagers state tooth brushing as their only oral
hygiene habit and therefore do not use any other oral hygiene item at
home. Only a small percentage floss daily.

Professional oral hygiene is claimed to be widely known by the

respondents: nonetheless, a significant amount of them never
experienced it. Poor oral hygiene knowledge could increase the risk of
dental caries in adulthood. These findings should encourage the public
health system to improve the preventive measure through better
communication especially through oral camps conducted in school.

GOOGLE FORM LINK: https://forms.gle/ty7EefhXkCnRbmt76

REFERENCES
1. Article by Sbricoli, L.; Bernardi, L.; Ezeddine, F., Bacci, C.; Di Fiore, A.
Oral Hygiene in Adolescence: A Questionnaire-Based Study. Int. J.
Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 7381.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127381

2. https://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/resguideschooloh.pdf

3. Suprabha BS, Rao A, Shenoy R, Khanal S. Utility of knowledge,

attitude, and practice survey, and prevalence of dental caries among
11- to 13-year-old children in an urban community in India. Glob Health
Action. Apr doi: 10.3402/gha.v6i0.20750. PMID: 23639177; PMCID:
PMC3643074.