Oral Health Patterns Among Schoolchildren in Mafraq

Little is known about the oral hygiene patterns among schoolchildren in Jordan. A school-based cross-sectional study was performed from January to March 2010. A simple random sampling method was used. Each student participant completed a detailed questionnaire regarding oral hygiene habits. Data were coded and analyzed using SPSS software version 16. The chi-square was used, odds ratio (OR) and the 95 % confidence limits (Cl) for gum bleeding were estimated. The results showed that nearly one fourth of the children indicating that they brush their teeth twice or more daily (regular pattern). Furthermore, 17 % of the schoolchildren never brush their teeth at all. There is a higher proportion, 22.1%, of rural children that never brush their teeth compared to 14.6 % of the urban students. Dental flossing among primary schoolchildren in Mafraq Governorate is very rare: 97.2 % of the children stated that they had never used dental floss in their life. Furthermore, one fourth of the school-children did not have a tooth brush. While 15.0 % of them have a shared toothbrush with their families. The findings of this study indicate that oral health habits in Mafraq Governorate are poor and need to be improved. Based upon these finding, community oriented oral health programs should be established. Keywords oral health, dental health, schoolchildren, Jordan Early childhood periodontal disease is one of the most widely distributed oral problems and one of the most wide-spread chronic diseases in many communities around the world (Oh, Eber, & Wang, 2002; Varenne, Petersen, & Ouattara, 2006). Moreover, oral health habits and practices are used as measures of a community’s knowledge of oral hygiene. Gathering this information is an essential require-ment in assessing, planning, and evaluating effective oral health services in the community (AL-Hussaini et al., 2003; Rababa’a, Jama’ni, & AL-Omari, 1989). Socioeco-nomic status and organizational patterns strongly affect and influence the choices and decisions concerning oral health habits (Nutbeam, Aaro, & Catford, 1989). Many studies have demonstrated that gum bleeding is considered one of the most accurate indicators of oral healt