Prevalence and associated factors of dental pain among 15-year-old adolescent school children in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Dental pain is a notable public health problem among children and adolescents worldwide. This study sought to assess the prevalence of dental pain and its associated factors among 15-year-old school children in the Gampaha Education Division, Sri Lanka.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 567 fifteen-year-old schoolchildren recruited from the Gampaha Education Division. The multistage probability proportional to size (PPS) cluster sampling technique was employed. A judgmentally validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Dental pain experienced within the six months preceding the data collection was considered the outcome variable. It was recorded as either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on participants’ self-reported experience of dental pain during this period. Binary multiple logistic regression was used to assess the predictors of dental pain.

RESULTS

The response rate for the study was 97.35%. The prevalence of dental pain within the preceding six months was 29.3% (95% CI 25.5–33.1) among 15-year-old adolescent school children. A statistically significant association was observed between the experience of dental pain and the following factors: lower monthly family income (P < 0.01); lower maternal education level (P < 0.05); use of a cleaning method other than a toothbrush (P < 0.05); brushing with a non-fluoridated toothpaste (P < 0.05); frequent consumption of sweets or refined foods several times a day (P < 0.05); perceiving one’s oral health as very poor, poor or fair (P < 0.05); and the presence of perceived decayed teeth (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of dental pain among 15-year-old adolescent school children in the Gampaha Education Division was high and significantly associated with socioeconomic factors, oral hygiene practices, dietary habits, and perceived oral health status. Targeted interventions are essential to improve oral health behaviors and address these risk factors to reduce the burden of dental pain in this population. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.