{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T19:57:55Z","timestamp":1781207875100,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Pakistan Medical Association","issue":"06","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Pak Med Assoc"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: To determine the frequency of regular dental visits, the oral health status of school children, and to assess the awareness of parents regarding these visits.\nMethod: The cross-sectional study was conducted from January to October 2023 at a private school in Karachi after approval form the ethics review board of Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, and comprised children aged 6-12 years from grades 1-6. Data was collected from the parents of the enrolled children using a pilot-tested structured questionnaire. This was followed by oral examination of the children. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.\nResults: Of the 345 subjects with mean age 9.5\u00b11.49 years, 197(57.1%) were boys and 148(42.9%) were girls. Among the parents, 146(42.3%) had at least three children. Overall, 145(42%) children had never visited a dental clinic. Among the 200(58%) who had visited a dentist, Regular visits were reported by 21(10.5%). Among the parents, 205(59.4%) were aware of the importance of regular dental visits. Caries were found in 158(45.8%) children, while the mean plaque score was 0.74\u00b10.93. The incidence of caries and presence of plaque were significantly lower among children who had been visiting dentists regularly (p&lt;0.05). A significant association was seen between regular dental visits and children with only one sibling (p=0.004).\nConclusion: The frequency of regular dental visits was found to be low. The high prevalence of caries emphasised the importance of regular dental visits.\nKey Words: Dental health services, Dental care, Dental care for children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.47391\/jpma.30179","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]],"date-time":"2026-05-31T19:21:37Z","timestamp":1780255297000},"page":"898-903","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Determining the frequency of regular dental visits and its association with the current oral status of children"],"prefix":"10.47391","volume":"76","author":[{"given":"Soha","family":"Munawwar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hira","family":"Tariq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naushaba","family":"Khatoon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zaeema","family":"Ahmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"26547","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"container-title":["Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jpma.org.pk\/index.php\/public_html\/article\/download\/30179\/4847","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jpma.org.pk\/index.php\/public_html\/article\/download\/30179\/4847","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T19:31:40Z","timestamp":1781206300000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jpma.org.pk\/index.php\/public_html\/article\/view\/30179"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"06","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.47391\/jpma.30179","relation":{},"ISSN":["0030-9982"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0030-9982","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]}}}