Dental disease burden and projected financial implication of adult population of Uttarakhand, India: An observational cross-sectional multicentric study

• Main Authors: Abhishek Kandwal, Saba Jamil, Sanjeeva Kumar, Shaika Negi, Nidhi Kundra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Dental Research and Review
• Subjects: community health; dental caries; decayed missed and filled teeth index; oral hygiene index; treatment needs
• Online Access: http://www.jdrr.org/article.asp?issn=2348-2915;year=2020;volume=7;issue=3;spage=128;epage=133;aulast=Kandwal

Introduction: Dental disease and oral hygiene are one of the most prevalent health problems in the world. With increasing incidence of dental caries and poor oral hygiene, the cost of oral rehabilitation significantly increases. Aim: The present study was conducted to access the burden of dental caries and oral hygiene in adults at three health care centers and the combined population. Materials and Methods: Six-hundred individuals, 200 each from three health center were enrolled. Oral hygiene index simplified (OHI-S) and decayed missed and filled teeth index (DMFT) and socioeconomic data was recorded. Approximate projected financial burden per individual was calculated for the population. Results: Nearly 94.7% of the total population has DMFT >0, while 58.7% of population had OHI-S for grade and Grade 3. Overall, financial burden per individual for the population was 2382–7716 INR. Intercenter comparison by the analysis of variance was significant P < 0.000, for DMFT and OHI-S scores. All indices were highest for center 1 followed by center 2 and center 3. Met need index was 0.46, restorative index (RI) was 25.44%, treatment 47.85% need index was and significant caries (SiC) index was 5.84. Age was statistically significant for DMFT and OHI-S (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study showed a very high prevalence of dental caries and SiC. Treatment needs were high, while RI and met needs were low with high projected financial burden.