Journal of Scientific Dentistry

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VOLUME 10 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2020 ) > List of Articles

Original Article

Prevalence of Dental Caries among Junk Food- and Non-junk Food-eating Schoolchildren in Urban and Rural Areas of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India

Bala Vaishnavi Gunaseelan, Vidhya Gunasekaran

Keywords : Dental caries, Dietary habits, Mayiladuthurai

Citation Information : Gunaseelan BV, Gunasekaran V. Prevalence of Dental Caries among Junk Food- and Non-junk Food-eating Schoolchildren in Urban and Rural Areas of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India. 2020; 10 (1):7-9.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10083-0928

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 07-10-2020

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease. Diet plays an important role in the nutritional status and individual development. Migration of people from rural areas and urbanization cause a change in the lifestyle and dietary habits which in turn affects oral health. Aim: To assess the prevalence of dental caries in junk food- and non-junk food-eating school students among urban and rural schoolchildren in Mayiladuthurai. Objective: To identify the role of dietary habits (type of diet, skipping meals, snacking between meals, and frequency of visits to fast-food restaurants) in occurrence and severity of caries. Materials and methods: In this study, a total of 174 participants were considered, and among them 59 are rural schoolchildren and 115 are urban schoolchildren. Assessment of dental caries based on modern foods was done. A questionnaire was prepared to check the frequency of foods and the student's responses were marked. Results: Among 59 rural schoolchildren, 80% have caries and 20% have no caries. Among 115 urban students, 84% have caries and 16% have no caries. Compared to rural schoolchildren, urban schoolchildren are more affected by dental caries. Conclusion: This study was done to reduce the risk of caries by eliminating the intake of cariogenic food. Our study shows the risk of caries was high among urban schoolchildren.


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