DETERMINANTS OF UNMET ORAL HEALTH NEED IN A POPULATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Children bear a huge burden of unmet oral health need which impacts them adversely. This study explored the determinants of unmet oral health need among children. The baseline data in an intervention study that assessed the impact of oral health education for caregivers on children’s utilization of dental service was analyzed for this study. Children in registered secondary schools in Ibadan North West Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria took part in the study. Interviewer-administered questionnaires and intra-oral examination by 2 dentists with good inter-examiner reliability (Cohen’s kappa = 0.76, p<0.001) were employed. The questionnaires assessed parent’s occupation, child’s self-assessment of oral health status, previous history of dental service utilization and other possible determinants of unmet oral health need. Children who had any one of/or a combination of untreated dental caries, traumatized anterior teeth, sepsis and poor oral hygiene were deemed to have an unmet oral health need. There were 1,137 children with mean age of 12.3± 1.78 years. There were more girls (55.3%) than boys. On examination, 40% of the children had an unmet oral health need. Increasing age (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06 – 1.13), female (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54 – 0.88), self-assessment of oral health status as poor (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.26 – 3.22) and attending a public school (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.09 – 1.78) were significantly associated with having an unmet oral health need. Being an older male child attending a public secondary school with oral health self-assessed as poor were significant determinants of unmet oral health need in this study. Preventive efforts should therefore be targeted at these determinants.