Oral health status in Najaf City

Abstract

This study assessed the oral hygiene status of teenagers. Three hundred and two
teenagers aged 13-16 years (151 boys and 151 girls) and 291 young adults aged 20-23
years (150 males and 141 females) collected from secondary schools and the
University of Kufa in Najaf city. Oral hygiene was assessed by three indices (plaque,
gingival and calculus indices).
Plaque free subjects represented 22.3% of males and 44.2% of females with a
mean PI of 0.717±0.742 for males and 0.444±0.619 for females. While, gingivitis was
found in 68.1% of males and 46.6% of females with a mean GI of 0.436±0.526 for
males and 0.255±0.447 for females. The majority of the sample was calculus free
(91.1% of females and 88.7% of males) with a mean CI of 0.020±0.081 for males and
0.014±0.056 for females.
Males showed significantly higher mean PI, GI and CI scores than females.
Teenagers were found to have significantly higher mean PI and GI than young adults.
This indicates that young adults are keener on keeping a good oral hygiene than
teenagers and that males neglect their oral hygiene more than females.