Dental health behavior pertaining to fluoridated toothpaste usage among the parents of private and government school students in Mangalore, South India

Abstract

Background: Promoting oral self-care capacity and the use of fluoride toothpaste is an appropriate strategy for the prevention of oral diseases among schoolchildren, especially in a developing country like India. Aim: To assess the oral health behavior of fluoridated toothpaste usage among parents of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Mangalore, South India. Materials and Methods: Around 523, 12-year-old school students selected by cluster random sampling were given questionnaires to be completed by the parents to elicit their dental health behavior. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0. Bivariate analysis of the association of dental health behavior and the type of the school was conducted using Chi-square test. Finally, we fitted a multivariate binary logistic regression model to estimate the strength of association, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In this study, all the schoolchildren used toothpaste to clean their teeth, and the major factors which influenced the selection of toothpaste were promotional offer and advertisement for government and private schools, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that private schoolchildren had higher odds for using fluoridated toothpaste (odds ratio [OR] – 6.04 confidence interval [CI]: 1.929–18.912), receiving instructions from dentist (OR – 4.63 [CI: 2.770–7.741]), and brushing twice daily (OR – 0.37 [CI: 0.219–0.629]). Enrollment in government schools was associated with lower odds for selecting toothpaste based on professional advice (OR – 0.11 [CI: 0.072–0.177]). Conclusions: Private schoolchildren had higher usage of fluoridated toothpaste. Private schoolchildren had higher usage of fluoridated toothpaste and receiving instructions from dentist about dental health behavior. To overcome the Inverse Care Law, it is of utmost importance to create awareness among government schoolchildren.