This study aimed to test the hypothesis that excessive screen time can affect the oral health of school children. In this observational cross-sectional study conducted in four schools in Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), India, 497 school children aged 8-14 years were included. Convenience sampling was used to select schools. Data were extracted from a questionnaire pertaining to screen time and dietary habits, which was distributed to the school children during their first planned school visit. Seven days later, on their second school visit, the children were clinically examined by a calibrated examiner (κ = 0.9) for dental caries, plaque and gingival health using the following indices: Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth (DMFT)/decayed, extracted, filled teeth (deft), Silness-Loe plaque index (PI) and Loe-Silness gingival index (GI), respectively. Overall, 88.7% of the participants exhibited screen time of ≥2 h with maximum frequency for smartphones (93%), followed by television (84.7%). Significantly higher DMFT/deft values (3.20 ± 0.68 vs. 2.45 ± 0.35, p = 0.001), PI (1.04 ± 0.21 vs. 0.33 ± 0.10, p < 0.001) and GI (1.45 ± 0.34 vs. 0.12 ± 0.04, p < 0.001) were observed in those with screen time ≥2 h as compared to those with screen time <2 h. Data underwent statistical analysis with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Excessive screen time can influence the eating patterns of children and contribute to higher DMFT, GI and PI.
Keyphrases
- high throughput
- oral health
- physical activity
- mental health
- young adults
- healthcare
- coronary artery disease
- weight gain
- electronic health record
- big data
- risk assessment
- body mass index
- machine learning
- deep learning
- quality improvement
- climate change
- artificial intelligence
- health promotion
- neural network
- patient reported