Title:  Influence of nutritional and oral hygiene habits on oral health in Croatian island children of school age

Abstract:  Aim The aim of this cross-sectional (analytical) study was to investigate the influence of nutritional and hygienic habits on oral health in children. Materials and methods There were 143 children aged six to thirteen years attending primary school Blato, Blato, Croatia who participated in this study. Children were divided into groups according to age in younger primary school children (6–9 years old, n=82) and older primary school children (10–13 years old, n=61): according to gender in males (n=53) and females (n=90). The study was conducted by using a questionnaire of nutritional and hygienic habits and clinical dental examination. Decayed-missed-filled tooth index (DMFT) and plaque index were calculated. DIAGNOdent pen was used to assess caries presence on the first permanent molars. Results There are no statistically significant differences in the consumption of sugar and sweetened beverages among the tested groups. There were 124 (86.71%) children brushing their teeth one or more times a day. The DMFT index for older children (10–13 years, DMFT=2.66±2.45) was significantly higher (p <0.001) than the DMFT index in younger children (6-9 years, DMFT=1.08±1.36). There is no statistically significant difference in the DMFT index between the sexes (p = 0.405). Results obtained by comparing the plaque index value among children of different ages and sexes show that there are no statistically significant differences among the comparable groups as well as the values obtained with the device KaVo DIAGNodent Pen in both groups (age and gender). Statistics: Statistical analysis was carried out using the MedCalc for Windows software version 11.5.1.0 (MedCalc software, Mariakerke, Belgium). For comparison of continuous variables, the Mann-Whitney U test was used, and a χ2-test was used to compare the category variables. The level of statistical significance was set at p <0.05. Conclusion Results of this study showed that DMFT index is higher in older children than in younger children although their nutritional and oral hygiene habits are similar. Oral health in children of different sexes was the same as well as their nutritional and oral hygiene habits.