Knowledge, practice and awareness of oral hygiene among three different age populations of same ethnic group - a community based study

Aim: The objective of this study is to compare the knowledge, practice and awareness of oral hygiene among three different age groups (15-30, 30-45 and 45-60-year-olds) of the Saudi population in Sakaka. Methods: 629 subjects aged between 15-60 years were randomly selected. Data were collected by self-administered structured questionnaires and analysis was done using the SPSS statistical software. The subjects were divided in to A group (>30 years), B group (45 years) and C group (<46 years). Results: 30.7% (A group) of subjects preferred commercial bush to clean their teeth (p<0.001), while 5.9% (B and C groups) choose Miswak for cleaning. Group B people preferred brushing only in the morning (24.5%), while 16.5% of group A respondents preferred brushing twice a day. 23.1% of group A subjects responded that brushing regularly was the ideal way to avoid caries (p<0.05). 51.8% of all age groups had no idea on the effects of fluoride on caries disease. The reason to visit dentist was mainly for extraction (30.5%) followed by pain relief (28.9%). 62.62% (p<0.05) subjects had carious lesions, whereas 56.6% subjects had fractured teeth. The use of tobacco (16.7%) was highly prevalent in group B subjects (p<0.05). Tea consumption among A group subjects (49.6%) more than other age groups (p<0.001). 81.2% subjected were free from gingival bleeding (p