Role of Oral Hygiene on Occurrence of Rheumatic Fever Among Bangladeshi Children

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth clean and healthy by brushing and flossing to prevent tooth decay and gum disease This case control study was aimed to compare oral hygiene practices and oral health status between Rheumatic Fever case and control group among Bangladeshi Children and to assess socio –demographic and environmental factors influencing Rheumatic fever. Among 124 children 62 rheumatic fever cases of 5-15 years of age children were taken; 62 children of the same age without rheumatic fever were chosen as control group. The mean ± SD age of the children was 10 ± 2.41 years with a range between 6 and 15 years of age and 56 (45.2%) were male and 68(54.8%) were female. Regarding the method of tooth brushing 45.2% of rheumatic fever cases practiced. Satisfactory method of tooth brushing and only 12.9% of the control , so there was significant difference in method of tooth brushing between two groups (x2=15.557.p=0.00 ). Female 62.9% were more affected by rheumatic fever than males (37.1%). Fever and joint pain were the most common sign and symptoms of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever occurrence was more in the children whose mothers were housewives (x2=11.090; P=0.011).