School
School of Public Health
Document Type
Dissertation
Department (new version)
Public Health
Date of Award
1994
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Public Health
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the relationship of dental calculus in Thai children to dental caries and other oral conditions such as gingivitis and oral hygiene. The contribution of selected salivary and socioeconomic factors to calculus formation was also investigated. A total of 439 school children from 11 to 13 years of age were randomly selected from 18 schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Children were examined orally to determine calculus index (CI), DMFS, DMFT, gingivitis, and plaque status. Two hundred and six (206) children who had a CI scores of $\le$1.0 formed the calculus group, and 233 children with calculus scores of $<$1.0 were included in the non-calculus group. All children were questioned regarding their oral hygiene practices and the parents were asked about family income and parents' educational level. Three children from each school were requested to bring drinking water samples from home to be analyzed for fluoride content. Whole stimulated and unstimulated saliva, as well as parotid saliva were collected from 120 children in the two main groups to determine flow rate, pH, and buffer capacity by the method of Ericsson and Dentobuff$\sp\circler$ strips. The four major findings in this study were: (a) dental calculus was not significantly associated with caries occurrence in Thai children, thus implying that there are different basic mechanisms for caries and calculus; (b) there were highly significant associations (p $<$ 0.0001) among calculus, gingivitis, and plaque status. This result emphasizes the importance of a plaque control program to prevent calculus accumulation; (c) salivary flow rate, pH, and buffer capacity of saliva from children in the calculus and non-calculus groups did not differ significantly. This suggests that other salivary factors, such as calcium and phosphate concentration and/or salivary proteins, might play a dominant role in calculus formation; and (d) father's education was the only factor that contributed to calculus status. Family income, mother's education, and oral hygiene practices were not found to be influential in determining calculus status. In summary, results of this study indicated that calculus in 12-year-old Thai children is independent of caries, but determines gingivitis. Salivary factors determining calculus as well as sociocultural and behavioral practices need to be further explored to understand the complete etiology of this oral health condition in Thai children.
ProQuest Publication Number
ProQuest ID
9509262
ISBN
979-8-209-25071-5
Recommended Citation
Pattanaporn, Komkham, "Dental calculus deposition and its relation to caries, gingivitis, and selected salivary factors in twelve-year-old children in Chiang Mai, Thailand" (1994). All ETDs from UAB. 7190.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7190
Comments
PhD