Oral health status and oral impact of daily life among permanent residents in Thiruvallur district

Abstract

Introduction: Oral diseases like dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancers, oral manifestations of HIV, oro-dental trauma, cleft lip and palate, though not life threatening constitute major public health problems worldwide. The Global burden of Disease Study 2017, estimated that oral diseases affect close to 3.5 billion people worldwide. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the oral health status, unmet oral health needs and oral impact of daily life among the permanent residents in Tiruvallur district. Materials and Methods: The WHO Oral health assessment form (2013) was used to record the oral health status. For assessing the quality of well-being among the patients, the Oral Impact on Daily Performances questionnaire was used (Sheiham A et al). After a brief introduction on the purpose and intent of the study, examination was conducted by a single examiner. Demographic information like age, gender, education, occupation were recorded. The oral health status was recorded after clinical examination of the oral cavity followed by Oral Impact on Daily Performance questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi square test were used. Mann Whitney U test was used to test the association between gender and OIDP scores.