Brushing habits of children 6 and below in rural areas- kanchipuram

Aim: To evaluate the knowledge about the brushing habits of children below 6 years in rural area- kanchipuram

Background: Brushing teeth is an important part of dental care routine. Improper brushing habits results in the formation of plaque which eventually leads to the formation of cavities. Proper brushing habits should be taught to children for maintaining their oral hygiene and to prevent cavities. This study was done to explore the amount of exposure about the benefits of proper brushing among parents and children belonging to rural area

Materials and method: This study was carried among randomly selected 60 students in a rural area (kanchipuram district) whose age is below six years. The questionnaire was given to the parents as the children would not be able to understand or respond to it. This survey was done with the parents consent and the questionnaire included 10 questions.

Result: It is observed that 15% use hard brushes, 48% use a medium brush and 39% use soft brush. Similarly horizontal type of pattern are followed by 12%, vertical by 20%, circular 10% and random 58%. 24% of the children visit the dentists whereas 17% don't. Children who visit the dentist sometimes are 11% and 48% of them never visit the dentist.

Conclusion: From this study ,it is found that the brushing habits of the children who were surveyed is not adequate which makes the need of creating the awareness for the parents on training their children on how to brush properly and reduce the ill effects of poor oral hygiene.