Sugar Consumption Among Primary and Secondary Students Among Dravidian Population In South Indian And Malaysian

Objective: To assess the relationship between the frequency of sugar consumption and type of sugar consumption in relation to the age of the child between the school going children among the Dravidian descent in South India and Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study has been done in the Dravidian population in South India and in Malaysia for 200 patients who were divided into two age groups. After clinical examination, patients who had dental caries were instructed and referred to appropriate treatment. Results: Caries prevalence varies from country to country and from region to region in the same country. Geographic variables such as, climate, diet, culture, and economic factors also affect the caries prevalence. Besides this, an attempt has been made to compare the findings of the present study with the findings of other studies from with in and outside the country. Food habits play an important role in the causation of dental caries. The introduction of refined sugar (sucrose) in to the modern diet has been associated with increased caries prevalence. In the present study, an effort was made to find the relationship between the type of sugar consumed, the frequency of sugar consumed, and brushing habits. the present study, the values of deft and its increases with increased sugar intake. Conclusion: The result of the study indicates that the sugar consumption by the older population of both countries is higher than the younger group. Although the amount of sugar consumed before bed is around the similar amount for both groups, the awareness pertaining to tooth decay is higher in the younger group of people compared to the older group in both countries, demonstrating that the advent of curriculum and cartoons has greatly influenced the youth regarding the importance of oral hygiene