Socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables associated with oral hygiene status in Mexican schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to identify the socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables associated with oral hygiene status in schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 years in Navolato, Sinaloa, Mexico.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out in 3,048 schoolchildren. A questionnaire was used to determine socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables, and a clinical oral examination was carried out to establish oral hygiene status. The "plaque" component of the simplified oral hygiene index (S-OHI) was the criterion used to determine oral hygiene status in children. Using principal component analysis, five socioeconomic factors were streamlined to one principal component to determine the individual socioeconomic level. Data were analyzed with non-parametric tests and multivariable logistic regression.


RESULTS
The population included 1,456 boys and 1,592 girls. The mean value for S-OHI was 1.10 +/- 0.34. The largest percentage (50.8%) of the S-OHI scores ranged between 0 and 1. In the multivariate model, younger age, male gender, and lower toothbrushing frequency (P <0.05) were associated with poor oral hygiene. Children with better socioeconomic status had better oral hygiene (P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Most children ( approximately 60%) had an acceptable level of oral hygiene. Diverse variables were associated with oral hygiene in these Mexican children, highlighting a gradient distribution throughout the socioeconomic spectrum. It is necessary to implement strategies that would help to diminish the disparities observed across diverse socioeconomic groups.
Villalobos-Rodelo
Juan J
JJ
Faculty of Dentistry of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Medina-Solís
Carlo E
CE
Maupomé
Gerardo
G
Vallejos-Sánchez
Ana A
AA
Lau-Rojo
Laura
L
de León-Viedas
Marco V Ponce
MV
D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*