Report of a Survey on Dental Status in a Model Primary School for an Occlusal Guidance Project in Yamanashi Prefecture

(I): A questionnaire survey on dentition/occlusion

Abstract

As a part of a special project promoting The“8020”Campaign in Yamanashi Prefecture, we carried out a survey on denture/occlusion in children and their parents in a model primary school to promote occlusal guidance from childhood. The following results were obtained.
1. Of the parents,37.5% considered the teeth of their child to be“even”and 39.4% to be“uneven”.
2. As the cause of uneven teeth,“The child does not eat hard foods”was the most frequent reply (35.2%) while“genetic inheritance”was infrequently observed (9.8%).
3. For children who experienced orthodontic treatment, the treatment was initiated most frequently“on the advice of a dentist”(40.9%), followed by“at parent's wish”(34.1%) and“at child's wish”(13.6%).
4. The reason for orthodontic treatment was most frequently“appearance”(46.3%). Aesthetic reasons were more frequently observed than functional ones.
5. The most frequent bad oral habit was“nail biting”(34.9%), followed by“finger sucking”(21.7%).
6.“Stuffed nose”(34.6%) and“mouth breathing”(27.3%) were frequently observed, suggesting an association between otorhinolaryngological disorders and breathing through the mouth.