Table 3.
Caries prevalence in relation to feeding and oral hygiene practices.
| Items | n (%) | Caries affected n (%) | Caries free n (%) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency of breast feeding/day | 5 times | 500 (25) | 260 (52) | 240 (48) | χ 2 = 10.95, df = 2, P > 0.05 |
| 5–10 times | 1200 (60) | 580 (48.3) | 620 (51.7) | ||
| >10 times | 300 (15) | 120 (40) | 180 (60) | ||
|
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| Duration of breast feeding/day | <6 months | 206 (10.3) | 66 (32) | 140 (68) | χ 2 = 55.72, df = 2, P < 0.05 |
| 6 months–1 year | 473 (23.7) | 193 (40.8) | 280 (59.2) | ||
| 1–1.5 years | 934 (46.7) | 468 (50.1) | 466 (49.9) | ||
| 1.5 to 2 years | 387 (19.3) | 233 (60.2) | 154 (39.8) | ||
|
| |||||
| Age at which bottle feeding was introduced | <6 months | 367 (18.4) | 160 (43.6) | 207 (56.4) | χ 2 = 180.80, df = 3, P < 0.001 |
| 6 months to 1 year | 280 (14) | 180 (64.3) | 100 (35.7) | ||
| 1 to 2 years | 306 (15.3) | 233 (76.1) | 73 (23.9) | ||
| Not introduced | 1046 (52.3) | 387 (37) | 661 (63) | ||
|
| |||||
| Duration of bottle feeding/day | 6 months to 1 year | 107 (5.4) | 33 (30.8) | 74 (69.2) | χ 2 = 79.18, df = 3, P < 0.001 |
| 1 to 1.5 years | 260 (13) | 133 (51.2) | 127 (48.8) | ||
| 1.5 to 2 years | 280 (14) | 173 (61.8) | 107 (38.2) | ||
| More than 2 years | 307 (15.4) | 233 (75.9) | 74 (24.1) | ||
|
| |||||
| Quantity of sugar added in the milk | 0.5 tsp | 433 (21.7) | 240 (55.4) | 193 (44.5) | χ 2 = 64.29, df = 3, P < 0.05 |
| 1 tsp | 260 (13) | 173 (66.5) | 87 (33.5) | ||
| 2-3 tsp | 68 (3.4) | 68 (100) | 0 | ||
| None | 193 (9.7) | 93 (48.2) | 100 (51.8) | ||
|
| |||||
| Frequency of child falling asleep with bottle | Throughout night | 33 (1.7) | 32 (97) | 1 (3) | χ 2 = 65.11, df = 3, P < 0.05 |
| Only during feeds | 121 (6) | 100 (83.3) | 21 (16.7) | ||
| Sometimes | 300 (15) | 187 (62.3) | 113 (37.7) | ||
| Never | 500 (25) | 253 (50.6) | 247 (49.4) | ||
|
| |||||
| Frequency of tooth brushing | Once | 1233 (61.7) | 580 (47) | 653 (53) | χ 2 = 3.04, df = 2, P > 0.05 |
| Twice | 747 (37.4) | 373 (49.9) | 374 (50.1) | ||
| Thrice | 20 (1) | 7 (35) | 13 (65) | ||
| Rarely | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
|
| |||||
| Method of tooth brushing | Nothing specific | 160 (8) | 93 (58.2) | 67 (41.8) | χ 2 = 35.12, df = 4, P > 0.05 |
| Horizontal | 267 (13.5) | 160 (59.9) | 107 (40.1) | ||
| Vertical | 226 (11.4) | 100 (44.1) | 126 (55.9) | ||
| Both H and V | 1080 (54) | 507 (46.9) | 573 (53.1) | ||
| Roll | 267 (13.3) | 100 (37.5) | 167 (62.5) | ||
|
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| Mother assistance in cleaning teeth | Everyday | 1814 (90.6) | 834 (46) | 980 (54) | χ 2 = 41.48, df = 3, P > 0.05 |
| Weekly once | 13 (0.6) | 13 (100) | 0 | ||
| Sometimes | 147 (7.4) | 100 (68) | 47 (32) | ||
| Never | 26 (1.4) | 13 (50) | 13 (50) | ||
Test applied: chi-square, P ≤ 0.05 statistically significant.