Abstrakt
The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis in adolescent male offenders during their six- week stay in a Youth detention centre (YDC) and to assess, to what extent oral health- related behavioural variables contribute to their increased risk for oral diseases. In the YDC, the adolescents are psychologically assessed because of previous significant behavioural problems such as drug use and distribution, stealing, robberies or violent behaviour and subsequently sent to a youth custody centre.
The crosssectional descriptive study included clinical dental examination, validated 10-item questionnaire focused on hygiene habits and oral care- related attitudes and data retrieval from the patients´ psychological and medical records. A convenience sample of 64 institutionalised male offenders aged 15 – 18 years was recruited when they were present on the research days, and consent to participate in the study was obtained.
During the course of the study, 4 subjects were excluded due to a chronic medication possibly influencing their oral health. In total, 13 (21.7%) and 21 (35.0%) subjects had at least one tooth indicated for extraction and with extensive caries, respectively.
An urgent need for dental treatment was identified in 33 (55.0%) individuals. 29 (48.3%) subjects visited a dentist only in case of toothache. Visible plaque was detected in 53 (88.3%) and gingivitis in 40 (66.7%) subjects, respectively.
All 60 (100.0%) subjects were smokers, only 14 (23.3%) of them knew about detrimental effects of tobacco on the periodontium. 46 (76.7%) individuals reported tooth brushing at least twice daily and the same percentage knew that oral hygiene influences the onset of dental caries, but only 7 (11.7%) of them used interdental brushes or floss. The results confirmed unsatisfactory oral health of young male Czech offenders.
Provision of dental care and preventive measures should be considered during their stay in the custody centres.