الفهرس 
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Abstract
Introduction:
Primary school children are those in the age period of 6-
12 years. During this age, the jaws grow at a faster rate than the
cranium, and increased mandibular prominence is
demonstrated. Between the ages of 6 and 7 years, many
children experience the eruption of all four first permanent
molars and the exfoliation of the mandibular and maxillary
primary central and lateral incisors. By the end of the twelfth
year, all of the permanent teeth usually have erupted except the
third molars (Berdjis, 2013).
Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the whole mouth
clean and healthy by brushing and flossing to prevent the
formation of plaque the leading cause of dental cavities and
gum diseases (Zwiker et al., 2012).
Oral hygiene determines oral health status, which affects
all health aspects in general. Therefore, poor oral hygiene can
be source and cause of many diseases. Oral diseases would lead
to irreversible damage, disfigurement, poor quality of life and,
even more serious general health problems when pathogenic
oral bacteria introduced into the blood stream and travel to vital
organs in the body, including the brain, lungs, and heart and may cause infection, life-threatening inflammation and also
cause systemic sepsis (Johnstone, 2013).
Dental cavities are affecting 50% of children by middle
childhood, and chronic gingivitis is common among them
which caused by inadequate oral hygiene (Arnold & Gorin,
2006).
Dental related problems lead to high rate of absenteeism
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, USDHHS,
2008). This consequently may affect child’s physical, social,
and cognitive development as the child misses the opportunity
to interact in stimulating environment (Clarke et al., 2006).
Aim of the study:
The aim of the study was to assess oral hygiene practices
among primary school children through:
- Assessing the knowledge of primary school children
about oral hygiene.
- Identifying the practices of primary school children in
relation to oral hygiene.
- Determining the factors affecting oral hygiene practices
among primary school children.Subjects and methods:
Research design:
A descriptive design was used in this study to fulfill the
study aim.
Research setting:
The study was conducted at primary schools in Shebin
El-Kom City and its surrounding villages.
According to schools’ geographic location, schools in
Shebin El-Kom are divided into two educational sectors;
eastern and western sectors. There are 16 primary schools at
the east sector and the west sector is composed of 22 primary
schools, while the surrounding villages consist of 95 primary
schools.
Sampling:
The sample type was multistage and it was constructed
by taking a series of simple random samples in each of the
stages. The total number of children registered in fourth, fifth,
sixth grade primary in both sectors of Shebin El-Kom City are
11.999 children and 24.829 children at surrounding villages
(Educational Statistic Records, 2010-2011). A number of 1011
children of both sexes at 4th, 5th, and 6th grade primary schools were included in the study. The researcher randomly selected
15% of schools from each sector and 5% of schools from
villages.
Tools of data collection:
Two tools were used in this study for data collection:
1. An Interviewing Questionnaire format for School children
(Appendix I): A structured interviewing questionnaire was
designed by the investigator after reviewing literature. It
consisted of three parts as follows:
· Part I: Socio-demographic data: characteristics of school
children.
· Part II: Children’s knowledge about oral hygiene.
· Part III: Previous history of oral health.
2. Observational checklist: It was used to identify primary
school children practices regarding to oral hygiene. It
consisted of two parts as follows:
· Part I: Observational checklist for brushing teeth
(Appendix II): This was adopted from James and Ashwill
(2002) and modified by the researcher and it contains 7
steps to assess teeth brushing techniquePart II: Oral Hygiene Index (OHI) (Appendix II): This
sheet was proposed by Ribeiro et al. (2002) and modified
by the researcher. It contains assessment of the teeth for the
presence of dental plaque or debris.
The study revealed that:
· Regarding to children’s knowledge, the study revealed that
more than one fifth (23%) of children knew the significance
of dental plaque, more than three quarters (77.9%) of them
expressed correct number of teeth brushing (twice daily),
less than two thirds (63.6%) of children expressed it was
better to brush for three minutes or more, about three quarters
(76.6%) of school children identified the importance of
cleaning the mouth for prevention of caries and gingivitis,
slightly more than one third (34.8%) of them were aware of
the fact that poor oral hygiene affects general heath
condition, almost the majority (79.4%) of children were
aware of the importance of visiting of a dentist regularly.
· Slightly more than two fifths (43.4%) of school children
reported having been taught by family, followed by 42.2% by
dentist, and only 7.7% by school. The majority (80.1%) of school children had complained of
dental problems and 48% of them had suffered from some
forms of gum problems.
· Nearly half (51.6%) of school children had good oral hygiene
status and less than one fifth (17.7%) had poor oral hygiene
status.
· Minority (4.6%) of the participants have acceptable practices
regarding teeth brushing.
· School children at sixth school grade are more
knowledgeable than those at fourth school grade.
· There is no relation between children’s knowledge and their
oral hygiene status and practices.
· There are statistically significant relations between education
and occupation of parent, and children’s knowledge.
· School children living in rural areas have less knowledge
about oral hygiene than those in urban areas.
· There is no association between school grades and oral
hygiene status. There is statistically significant relation between school
grades of the studied sample and their practices regarding to
teeth brushing.
· There is no influence of parents’ education and occupation on
the oral hygiene status and practices.
· Rural school children had deficient brushing technique and
appreciably poorer oral hygiene than those in urban areas.
Conclusion and recommendations:
- In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that child’s
practices toward oral hygiene need to be improved.
It’s recommended to:
· Implement effective oral hygienic educational programs to
improve children’s oral hygiene knowledge and practices.
· Periodic oral examination of school children to identify any
health problem related to improper oral hygiene.
· Conduct further researches about oral hygiene practices
among school children in different age’s categories and
geographic areas in Egypt to generalize the results.