P3.06-001 Tobacco Use, Awareness and Oral Health among Kanchipuram Silk Weavers, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

India is one of the world’s largest producers of textile and garments. Kanchipuram is a city in Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for saree, which is traditionally made by weavers from Kanchipuram popularly known as kanjivaram sari. The silk weavers are considered as the master weaver of Gods. The silk is also known for its quality and craftsmanship, which has helped earn its name globally. The people living around Kanchipuram take weaving as their main profession. Weaving being a sedentary work, tobacco has been used by this community as an entertainment factor to ward off boredom. Till date, there are no studies that have been conducted on the oral health status of silk weavers. Hence this study was contemplated with an aim to assess the tobacco use and its awareness among silk weavers. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess the tobacco use, its awareness and oral examination among 400 silk weavers at Kanchipuram, India. Silk weavers aged 18 to 75 years who were involved in this occupation for more than 5years were included. Data was collected using a survey ProForma which comprised of a questionnaire and WHO Oral Health Surveys – Basic Methods ProForma(1997). .Results showed that among 400 study populations, 57% had no formal education. Of those who had tobacco habit - 26% smoked beedi, 10.9% smoked cigarette, 65% chewed raw tobacco, 18% chewed Hans and 28% had a combination of smoking and smokeless tobacco usage. 34% of oral precancerous lesions were observed. The reason for practicing these habits were as a measure to combat boredom, relieving stress and body pain after work, and the lack of awareness of the hazards of the materials used. From the results of this study it may be concluded that the silk weavers were characterized by a lack of awareness about oral health, high prevalence of tobacco use and limited access to health services. Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in the study population was due to tobacco usage and alcohol consumption and lack of awareness regarding the deleterious effects of the products used.