ABSTRACT
Aim:
The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of oral health status among the general population in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India.
Materials and Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the general public in the Kallakurichi district. A total number of 176 samples were selected and equally divided among urban (88 samples) and rural areas (88 samples). The samples were obtained from various parts of urban and rural areas in the Kallakurichi district based on the multistage random sampling method. The data regarding oral health status was recorded using the World Health Organization (WHO) Proformas 2013 and 1997. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed using the Chi-square test.
Results:
The prevalence of dental caries (74.1%) was found to be the highest in the Kallakurichi district, followed by malocclusion (71.7%) and periodontal diseases (66.7%). A significant result was found in dental caries, dental fluorosis, dental trauma, and dental erosion between the index age groups.
Conclusion:
The government of Tamil Nadu should take proper preventive measures and also provide oral health knowledge and awareness among the public to overcome these dental problems.
KEYWORDS: Dental caries, Kallakurichi, malocclusion, oral health, periodontal disease
INTRODUCTION
Health prioritizes a crucial role compared to anything in the world.[1] The proper maintenance and early diagnosis of oral diseases help to identify and prevent many systemic diseases.[2] The improper maintenance of oral hygiene has a serious effect on oral health and may lead to numerous problems such as dental caries[3] and gingivitis due to an abundance of calculus formation, periodontal diseases, dentoalveolar abscess, and finally, loss of a tooth. In addition, poor oral hygiene also causes many systemic complications such as dysphagia and difficulty in chewing and speaking, which in turn affects the quality of life of people. Oral diseases are one of the major public health issues due to their increasing prevalence across the globe. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the most existing prevalent diseases throughout the world, especially in developing countries such as India.[4-6] “The prevalence of dental caries in Tamil Nadu was found to be 63.9%,”[7] and 50% of them had gingivitis, whereas 36% of the people in Tamil Nadu had a prevalence of periodontal diseases.[8,9] The Indian state of Tamil Nadu consists of 38 districts. There are no proper data regarding the oral health status of various parts of districts in Tamil Nadu; one such district in Tamil Nadu is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi district consists of two Previous studies conducted based on the oral health status in the Viluppuram district by Nanda Balan in 2012 stated that “the prevalence of dental caries was 62%,” whereas the prevalence of periodontal disease was found to be 69.6%.[10] Since Kallakurichi district was separated from Viluppuram district only in 2019, previous data related to oral health status was only available for the Viluppuram district. Considering the highest prevalence of oral diseases in the Viluppuram district and no previous studies available on the oral health status of the Kallakurichi district, this present study aims to assess the prevalence of oral health status among the general population of index age groups in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A descriptive study was conducted among the general population residing in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India, to assess oral health status. The sample size obtained was 176 based on the previous study conducted by Veerasamy et al. in 2016.[11] The ethical approval was availed from the Institutional Review Committee of the Department of Public Health Dentistry, SRM Dental College, Ramapuram. A sample of 176 was obtained and was equally divided into two groups, 88 from urban and 88 from rural areas. The samples were further divided randomly based on 5 years, 12 years, 15 years, 35–44 years, and 65–74 years in both urban and rural areas. The samples were obtained from various parts of urban and rural areas in the Kallakurichi district based on the multistage random sampling method for 2 months, that is, April 2022–May 2022. The inclusion criteria of this study were only persons who had resided in Kallakurichi for more than 7 years. Subjects with physical and mental well-being were included. The subjects who were not interested in participating and those who did not fulfill the consent form were excluded from the study. The refugees and immigrants were excluded and subjects with a systemic disease were excluded. The index age groups of 5 years, 12 years, and 15 years were randomly selected from various schools in the Kallakurichi district in both urban and rural areas, whereas the index age groups of 35–44 years and 65–74 years were selected randomly from door to door randomly in both urban and rural areas. The sociodemographic data and oral health status were recorded using the World Health Organization (WHO) Proforma 2013, whereas the data regarding the malocclusion were obtained using the WHO Proforma 1997.
The collected data were entered and interpreted using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, 2019). The Chi-square test was used to compare the categorical variables. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
Table 1 depicts the frequency and percentage of oral health status among the index age groups of 5 years, 12 years, 15 years, 35–44 years, and 65–74 years. The results were not significant for malocclusion, periodontal status, and oral mucosal lesion. A statistically significant difference was found in dental caries (0.014), dental fluorosis (0.048), dental trauma (0.048), and dental erosion (0.026) among index age groups.
Table 1.
Comparison of oral health status with index age groups
| Oral health parameters | Index age groups in years n (%) | P | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| 5 years | 12 years | 15 years | 35-44 years | 65-74 years | ||
| Malocclusion | NA | 33 (71.7) | 26 (55.3) | NA | NA | 0.091 |
| Periodontal status | NA | NA | NA | 18 (66.7) | NA | 0.095 |
| Oral mucosal lesion | NA | NA | NA | 5 (18.5) | 4 (14.3) | 0.192 |
| Dental caries | 18 (64.3) | 23 (50.0) | 22 (46.8) | 20 (74.1) | 10 (35.7) | 0.014* |
| Dental flurosis | NA | 14 (30.5) | 19 (41.4) | NA | NA | 0.048* |
| Dental trauma | 1 (3.6) | 4 (8.7) | 5 (10.9) | NA | NA | 0.048* |
| Dental erosion | 0 (0) | 1 (2.2) | 4 (8.5) | 16 (59.3) | 9 (32.1) | 0.026* |
Table 2 depicts the association between the oral health status of both urban and rural areas in Kallakurichi district. A statistically significant difference was found in the malocclusion (0.049), oral mucosal lesions (0.041), and dental erosion (0.047) among people in urban and rural populations.
Table 2.
Association of oral health parameters between urban and rural areas among study participants
| Oral health parameters | Urban (%) | Rural (%) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malocclusion | 67.4 | 60.9 | 0.049* |
| Periodontal status | 64.3 | 64.3 | 0.134 |
| Oral mucosal lesion | 10.8 | 21.5 | 0.041* |
| Dental caries | 54.5 | 51.1 | 0.251 |
| Dental fluorosis | 30.5 | 41.4 | 0.162 |
| Dental trauma | 8.3 | 8.4 | 0.162 |
| Dental erosion | 19.0 | 21.7 | 0.047* |
DISCUSSION
Oral health contributes to maintaining good general health. Hence, this current study is focused on the oral health status of the people residing in the Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India.
“In the current study, the majority of the prevalence of malocclusion was found among children aged 12 years (71.7%).” This was in contrast with the study by Vishnuprasad et al. 2019[12] in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu that stated that only 30–35% of children aged between 10 and 12 years had malocclusion. This might be due to changes in lifestyle and dietary habits and a lack of awareness among the parents. This might also be due to the observer’s error due to the participation of multiple examiners in screening oral health.
The current study states that the prevalence of periodontal disease was found to be 66.7% among the people belonging to the age group 35–44 years. This was found to be the highest when compared to the study conducted by Malakar et al.[8] in 2021 that discussed the prevalence of periodontal disease and oral hygiene practices among people in the Kanchipuram district and concluded that the prevalence of periodontal disease was 36%, which was the lowest compared with the present study. Another study conducted by Vishnuprasad et al.[12] in 2019 stated that periodontal disease is 39.3%, which was lower compared with that reported in the current study. The prevalence of periodontal disease was the highest in the current study compared with other districts in India. The study conducted by Janakiram et al.[13] in 2020 stated that the overall prevalence of periodontal disease in India was 51%, which was the lowest when compared with the present study. Calculus was the most commonly observed problem among the public in all studies. This might be due to the lack of knowledge and awareness and the inaccessibility of the public in visiting healthcare facilities, especially people in rural areas.
The current study states that “the prevalence of dental caries” in the Kanchipuram district was found to be the highest among the index age group of 35–44 years (74.1%), and it was low among the age group of 65–74 years (35.7%). This was in contrast with the study conducted by Pandey et al.[14] in 2021 that stated that “the prevalence of dental caries” was 62% among people aged 18 years and above. The dental caries prevalence was the lowest when compared with the current study.
Another study conducted by Parasuraman et al.[7] in 2017 discussed “the prevalence of dental caries” among people in Tamil Nadu and concluded that the “dental caries prevalence” was 63.9%. The systematic review study conducted in 2021[15] reported that the overall “prevalence of dental caries” was more than 60%. However, the study results were found to be the lowest compared with the present study. The prevalence of dental caries was influenced by dietary patterns such as rapid intake of sugary and sticky foods that adhere to the tooth surfaces and improper oral hygiene habits.
The overall analysis of this study reported that the prevalence of dental caries (74.1%) followed by malocclusion (71.7%) and periodontal diseases (66.7%) was found to be the highest among people in the Kanchipuram district, followed by dental erosion (32.1%). The prevalence of periodontal disease was more common in rural areas, whereas “the prevalence of dental caries” was more common in urban areas. This might be due to the fact that the majority of people in urban areas have changed from traditional lifestyles and food habits to modern dietary food patterns. The reasons behind the highest prevalence of periodontal disease in rural areas might be a lack of awareness and the inaccessibility of healthcare facilities in rural areas.
CONCLUSION
Oral diseases are one of the major burdens among people throughout the world as these affect the quality of life of people. “Dental caries,” malocclusion, and “periodontal diseases” are the most prevalent diseases in the Kallakurichi district, which need to be given more attention by the government by providing proper preventive measures and treatment services. The lack of dental manpower in government hospitals and urban-rural disparities in providing health care services and facilities must be solved to overcome this problem. Hence, the public health dentist should be recruited as a district oral health officer for formulating a meticulous plan to solve the community dental problems.
Declaration of patient consent
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form, the patient(s) has/have given his/her/their consent for his/her/their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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