A study on the necessity of oral health promotion program for children visiting local child care centers: the case of Incheon

지역아동센터 방문아동을 위한 구강건강증진 프로그램 필요에 대한 연구 -인천광역시를 중심으로-

The purpose of this study was to pave the way for the development of oral health promotion programs for children from the low-income class. The subjects in this study were 322 children from the city of Incheon. Some of them visited local childcare centers, and the others attended six different adjacent elementary schools. Their awareness of oral health, oral health behavior and preventive-treatment experience were investigated in May 2005, and whether there were any characteristics in their visit of dental institutions was checked. Besides, whether their parents advised them to brush their teeth before turning in was examined. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. 22.0 percent of the children investigated were visiting local childcare centers, and 78.0 percent weren't. The guardians of the former group largely received high-school(50.7%) and middle-school or lower education(22.5%), and those of the latter group mostly received high-school(41.0%) and college- or higher education(35.5%)(pE0.001). The common monthly mean house-hold income of the former was one million won or less(54.9%) or ranged from 1.01 to 2.00 million won(19.7%), and the most prevalent monthly mean household income of the latter was between 2.01 and 3.50 million won(28.7%). The second most dominant monthly mean household income of the latter ranged from 1.01 to 2.00 million won(28.3%), and the third most common one was 3.50 million won or more(12.0%)(pE0.001). 2. The most prevalent daily toothbrushing frequency among the local childcare center visitors was twice(39.4%), followed by three times(19.7%). The third largest group of the visitors brushed their teeth after each meal(19.7%). The most dominant daily toothbrushing frequency among the non-users of local child care centers was twice(54.2%), followed by three times(29.1%)(pE0.01). As to the way of toothbrushing, 58.2 percent of the visitors and 74.9 percent of the non-visitors brushed their teeth by turning their toothbrush or up and down(pF0.05). 62.0 percent of the former and 74.9 percent of the latter always brushed their teeth before turning in, and whether they visited local childcare centers made a significant difference to that(pE0.05). 3. 69.7 percent of the non-visitors were always advised by their parents to do toothbrushing before turning in, and the visitors who were given the same advice all the time numbered 29.6 percent(pE0.001). 4. 56.4 percent of the visitors and 72.1 percent of the non-visitors had ever visited dental institutions over the past year. Dental hospitals and clinics were identified as the dental institutions that they visited the most, and they mostly received dental-caries treatment or had a tooth out there. 49.3 percent of the visitors and 35.1 percent of the non-visitors had ever had a toothache. 5. Sealant was experienced by 42.3 percent of the visitors and 46.2 percent of the non-visitors to prevent dental caries(pF0.05). 33.8 percent of the visitors underwent fluoride application, and that rate was higher than that of the non-visitors with the same experience that stood at 22.7 percent(pE0.05). The visitors mainly acquired knowledge on oral health through other channels that weren't specified in the questionnaire(28.2%), and the non-visitors did it mostly at dental clinics(39.0%)(pE0.001).