Assessment of Dental Neglect and It’s Relation to Oral Health Among School Children Aged 4-12 Years in Sri Ganganagar City, Rajasthan, India

Background: Dental neglect indicates that parents or guardians fail to give the necessary oral health requirements such that the child can take pleasure in function and free from disease, where reasonable means are accessible to parents or caretaker. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the dental negligence of parents towards their children aged 4-12 years in Sri Ganganagar city, Rajasthan and to correlate the oral health status of the children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done involving 1000 school going children and their parents. Questionnaire were distributed among the parents of the children which includes the details of parents and their children . WHO form was used to assess the oral health status of the children i.e. the dental caries and bleeding on probing as per the World Health Organization criteria,2013 index. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS software version 20.0. Results: A significant higher dental negligence score was found among those parents who resided in the suburban area and whose educational qualification was higher secondary only and those who had visited the dentist only after the development of symptoms in their children. Conclusion: Among the parents whose educational qualification was higher secondary only, those who resided in the suburban area and those who went to see dentist only after the development of symptoms in their children have shown poor health status.