Original Article

Year : 2021 | Volume : 9 | Issue : 2 | Page : 148 - 151

“Bond for Biscuits” – A Survey to Assess Consumption of Biscuits among Children in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu

Prabhu Subramani, Anjali Anilkumar, Rofina Gomez, Merlet Ann Thomas

Department of Public Health and Dentistry, Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India

Address for correspondence:

Dr. V. Jude Aldo Paul,

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital, Chengalpet ‐ 603 105, Tamil Nadu, India.

E‐mail: judealdopaul1@gmail.com

Abstract:

Aims:

Biscuit is one of the oldest bakery snack items, consumed by all age groups worldwide, and one of the most consumed bakery products by children. This study aims to determine the biscuit consumption pattern of children and the knowledge of parents about the sugar content in the biscuit consumed by their children.

Materials and Methods:

A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 218 parents of children. A self administered validated questionnaire survey was conducted among N = 218 parents of children, the questionnaire consists of information about the demographic profile, followed by assessment of biscuits consumption pattern among children.

Results:

A total of 218 parents participated in the study; among all the children, 117 (53.7%) children take biscuits in the evening, 118 (54.1%) reported rinsing with water after consumption, 77 (35.3%) do not have the habit of either rinsing or brushing after biscuit consumption, 125 (57.3%) parents were not aware of the sugar content of the biscuits, 168 (77.1%) parents were aware that biscuits can cause dental caries, and 50 (22.9%) were still unaware of the role of biscuits in caries.

Conclusion:

The study showed that parents’ knowledge of the sugar content present in biscuits and its impact on oral health was low, and there can be a reduction in the amount of dental health problems among children by imparting diet‐related oral health education to the parents and children.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Keywords: Biscuit, children, parent’s knowledge, snacking pattern

How to cite this article:

Subramani P, Anilkumar A, Gomez R, Thomas MA. “Bond for Biscuits” – A survey to assess consumption of biscuits among children in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu. Int J Community Dent 2021;9:148-51.