ORAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES AMONG THE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RURAL AREA OF JALGAON DISTRICT OF MAHARASHTRA

Background: Improving oral health in the rural children is still a dream come true in a developing countries like India. The children especially from these countries are most susceptible to dental diseases due to social, economic and demographic factors like lack of awareness, lack of transportation, limited access to professional dental care, lack of perceived need for dental care. Objective: to assess the oral health knowledge and practices among the school students in rural area of Jalgaon District of Maharashtra. Material and Methods: A cross sectional survey was performed across one of the randomly selected primary schools in Jalgaon District of Maharashtra State. A total of 101 children belonging to 3rd and 4th class were included as study participants. A pre-tested questionnaire consisting of 15 questions in local language was used to collect information about oral health knowledge and practices among the students. Entire information was entered in Microsoft Office Excel Sheet and data was analyzed. Results: Out of total 101 school students from 3rd and 4th class, there were 58 females while the other 43 were males. The age bracket of all participants was between 9-10 years. Forty percent participants had fear of dental treatment. Only 1.98% of the participants said that they cleaned their teeth more than once in a day. Conclusion: The present study reported low level of oral health awareness among school children in Jalgaon District of Maharashtra., India.