The oral health hygiene data among the paliyan and pulayan tribes in India

It is of interest to document the The Oral Health heigene data among the paliyan and pulayan tribes in India. The Paliyan and Pulayan tribes inhabit a narrow strip of Western Ghats in the hilly regions of Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar districts of Tamil Nadu. Subjects aged 5yrs and above are used in this study. The WHO assessment form was used to assess the oral health status. Results show that 589 (58%) ignored the oral health problems, 225 (22.2%) relied on self-medications, 142 (14%) consulted a general physician, 35 (3.5%) had visited a dentist and the remaining 23 (2.3%) were dependent upon over the counter medications from a pharmacy. Thus, the prosthetic need was highest among the 55 + yrs age group, 36 (48.6%) required maxillary prosthesis and 21 (28.4%) required mandibular prosthesis.

Prosthetic status and needs in patients visiting dental teaching hospitals of Peshawar.

Objectives: The study aimed to collect the data regarding prosthetic status and need. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Three Teaching Dental Hospitals of Peshawar. Period: October to December 2017. Materials and Methods: Participants was given a pre-structured questionnaire which was designed to collect information regarding prosthetic need and prosthetic status. It consisted of two parts—the first part recorded data on socio-demographic factors (age, gender, educational level, socioeconomic status), while the second recorded the prosthetic status and need. Results: A total of 600 subjects were included comprising of 310 (51.6%) males and 290 (48.3%) females. The age ranged from 15 to 88 years with mean age 35 years. A total of 199 (33.1%) respondents were uneducated and 400 were educated. Out of 400, 63 (10.5%) had primary education, 167 (27.8%) had secondary education, 91 (15.1%) were graduates and 79 (13.1%) had a post-graduation There was significance difference found between age, education, socioeconomic status and prosthetic status. (p=0.000, 0.000, 0.004). There was no significance difference in prosthetic status between genders. There was significance difference found between education, socioeconomic status and prosthetic need (P value is 0.000, 0.012). There was no statistical significance found with respect to gender and prosthetic need. Conclusion: Hence, it can be concluded that most of the prosthetic needs of the studied population were unmet with prosthetic needs being approximately two fold greater than the prosthetic status.

Oral health profile of participants of an elderly cohabitation program in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Introduction Cohabitation and social interaction programs have been shown to enhance several aspects of the quality of life of the elderly. Objective This observational study assessed the oral health and oral health perception of participants of an elderly cohabitation program in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Material and method Calibrated dental students examined/interviewed 235 participants of the program. The oral examination considered Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, Community Periodontal Index (CPI), Periodontal Attachment Loss (PAL), use and need of prostheses, and presence of oral mucosal lesions. Oral health perception was verified with the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-square test (α=0.05). Result The mean DMFT index was 24.3 teeth, with emphasis on the ‘Missing’ category. Upper and lower prosthetic needs were 53.6 and 71.1%, respectively. Fifty-five per cent of participants presented oral mucosal lesions. Moderate oral health perception prevailed (43%), with mean GOHAI score of 29.9. The negative perception on physical and pain/discomfort dimensions was statistically associated with lower prosthetic need (p<0.05). Conclusion The participants of the cohabitation program presented poor oral health and prevalence of moderate oral health perception. Lower prosthetic need was associated with negative perception.

Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Needs of Patients Visiting Gandaki Medical College, Western Nepal

Introduction: The study of prosthetic status and prosthetic need will help us to find out the degree of treatment required in the population which will help to frame the health care services. Objective: The objective of the study was to find out the prosthetic status, prosthetic need in different age groups and their correlation with socio-economic status in patients visiting Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dental Surgery, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal. Materials and Methods: The patients visiting Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dental Surgery, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal were screened. The demographic profile of the patients was obtained and clinical examination for prosthetic status and prosthetic need was done based on WHO method. Results: There were total of 309 patients who visited the department during the study period. There were 133 (43%) male and 176 (57%) female patients. The majority of patients had no prosthesis in upper arch 78.6% and 83.8% in lower arch. The number of patients with replacement of missing teeth in upper arch was 66 (21.4%) and in lower arch were 50 (16.2%). There were 159 (51.5%) of patients requiring one or the other form of prosthesis in upper arch and 161 (52.1%) of patients in lower arch. Conclusion: The majority of patients had no prosthesis 78.6% in upper arch and 83.8% in lower arch. The need of prosthesis was 51.5% in upper arch and 52.1 % in lower arch.

Comment on “Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Need of the Institutionalized Elderly Living in Geriatric Homes in Mangalore: A Pilot Study”

Public Health Dentistry is a speciality which is targeted towards the larger benefit of community and society. Dental health surveys in specific population groups should be planned adequately and the data should be analyzed in such a way so that it may help in making strategies for the intervention to improve the existing status. This could be only done with the help of proper planning, analysis and interpretation of a sample survey. The present study highlights the research design, statistical and inferential errors in a published work of public health dentistry in order to bring about the common mistakes and errors made. The renewed suggested approach helps in interpreting the results in a better way and makes them objective-oriented.

Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Needs of the Institutionalized Elderly Living in Geriatric Homes in Hyderabad: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Introduction To promote oral health among the elderly, we need to know their prosthetic status and prosthetic need. Hence, a survey of prosthetic status and need of elderly inmates of geriatric homes in Hyderabad was done. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken, and 174 subjects aged 60 years and above were examined of which 103 were male and 71 were female (59.2% males and 40.8% females). The oral examination of the study subjects was carried out using basic oral health surveys, WHO 1997 criteria. Results Majority of the subjects, 73 (70.8%) males and 53 (74.6%) females had no prosthesis. Only 4.6% had complete dentures and 21.1% had removable partial dentures and 10.9% had single/multiple bridges. Need for any prosthesis was (83.5%) male and 63 (88.7%) female subjects and nearly 82. 8% subjects required one-unit prosthesis. Conclusion Dental prosthetic status of people living in geriatric homes is very poor and there is high unmet need for prosthetic care existed among the institutionalized elderly surveyed. Key messages A prevention based intervention programs to reduce early tooth loss is recommended and Oral health programs should be specially designed for these special group. How to cite this article Kumar GA, Maheswar G, Malathi S, Sridevi K, Ratnakar P, Someshwar B. Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Needs of the Institutionalized Elderly Living in Geriatric Homes in Hyderabad: A Pilot Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2013;14(6):1169-1172.

Dental Prosthetic Status and Prosthetic Need of the Institutionalized Elderly Living in Geriatric Homes in Mangalore: A Pilot Study

Introduction. To promote oral health among the elderly, we need to know their prosthetic status and prosthetic need. Hence, a survey of prosthetic status and need of elderly inmates of old age homes in Mangalore was done. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken, and 133 subjects aged 60 years and above were examined (54.9% males and 45.1% females). Results. Eighty-eight percent of those examined were fully edentulous, and only 12% had complete dentures; none of the study subjects had partial dentures. Prosthetic status was significantly associated with gender (P=.024), while prosthetic need and gender were not significantly associated (P=.395). Conclusions. A high unmet need for prosthetic care existed among the institutionalized elderly surveyed.