Oral hygiene, dietary habits, and signs of anxiety in internally displaced children during martial law

Background. Dental caries remains one of the most widespread health issues in childhood, reflecting the influence not only of biological but also psychosocial factors. Under the war conditions, the impact of forced displacement, stress, and lifestyle changes on oral health of children becomes particularly significant. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted involving 330 children aged 6–7 years: 230 internally displaced children (group I) and 100 local children (group II). Data were collected using a custom questionnaire and clinical indices, including oral hygiene (hygiene index), enamel resistance (TER test), periodontal status (PMA), and caries indices (dmft + DMFT). Due to non-normal data distribution, non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, χ2) and FDR correction for multiple comparisons were applied. Results. Children in group I were found to have poorer oral hygiene (1.52 ± 0.03 vs. 1.42 ± 0.02, p = 0.031) and lower enamel resistance (TER: 4.24 ± 0.18 vs. 2.64 ± 0.12, p < 0.001, r = 0.23). Caries prevalence was higher among internally displaced children (79.6 vs. 68.0 %; χ2 = 5.12, p = 0.024), with greater lesion severity (dmft + DMFT: 3.31 ± 0.21 vs. 1.91 ± 0.21, p < 0.001). Internally displaced children also demonstrated higher levels of chronic anxiety, sleep disturbances, and attention difficulties, along with irregular eating patterns, higher consumption of sweets and carbonated drinks, and lower parental supervision of oral hygiene (60.9 vs. 80.0 %, p = 0.001). Conclusions. Internally displaced children demonstrated higher caries prevalence, poorer oral hygiene, and lower enamel resistance. These findings support the hypothesis that psychosocial stressors and limited access to dental care contribute significantly to poor oral health outcomes in displaced pediatric populations.