DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i06.069

Pages: 2427-2431

The study was conducted to assess plaque and gingival scores among orphans and parented children. This study was planned in an Orphanage school and a Private school. A total of 84 subjects were examined including 30 orphans and 54 school students. A modified Index of Loe and Silness was used to score condition of gingival levels. Similarly the plaque index developed by Silness and Loe used for the assessment of plaque levels. A periodontal probe was used for gingival index and a dental explorer for evaluating plaque scores. Chi-square test was applied to compare the values of plaque and gingival index at p value ≤ 0.05. More than half of the orphans (56.7%) and school children (55.6%) had mild type of gingivitis. The level of gingivitis was increasing with advancing age among orphanage children. The school children had worse plaque scores compared to orphans. The frequency of moderate plaque values enhanced with growing age in school going children. Orphans have a higher gingival index than children residing with their parents. Thus there should be adequate dental health educational programs for these children as well as for their parents or caregivers to improve the quality of oral health.