AIMS: To assess the oral health status of the Bhil tribal population of Southern Rajasthan and to investigate the association of age, oral hygiene and dental visiting practices with oral health status. DESIGN: A cross sectional study of Bhil tribal adults chosen by a multi stage stratified random sampling procedure. PARTICIPANTS: The total sample size was 1590 male tribal dentate subjects aged 15-54 years. METHODS: Clinical recordings of oral hygiene status (OHI-S), caries status (DMFT and DMFS) and treatment needs, and periodontal status (CPI). The Chi square test was applied to discrete data and one way ANOVA for continuous data. Multivariate analyses were carried out to test the association of age, frequency of cleaning teeth, material used for cleaning teeth and dental visiting habits with caries and periodontal status. RESULTS: Debris, calculus and oral hygiene index scores increased with age. The overall mean DMFT and DMFS scores were 5.34 +/- 6.48 and 18.94 +/- 35.87 respectively. Extraction was the most required treatment (1.74 +/- 3.66 teeth) followed by one surface fillings (1.34 +/- 1.65 teeth). Shallow periodontal pockets were prevalent (40%) among the 35-44 years age group whereas deep pockets were most common (11.6%) in the oldest age group. More than half the sextants (3.15) were excluded amongst the oldest study group. All the independent variables namely age, frequency of cleaning teeth, substance used for cleaning teeth and visiting habits were statistically significantly related to caries and periodontal status. CONCLUSIONS: The study population was characterised by a lack of previous dental care, high treatment needs, high prevalence of periodontal disease and poor oral hygiene. Under these circumstances, the implementation of a basic oral health care programme for the Bhil population is a high priority.
AIMS: To assess the oral health status of the Bhil tribal population of Southern Rajasthan and to investigate the association of age, oral hygiene and dental visiting practices with oral health status. DESIGN: A cross sectional study of Bhil tribal adults chosen by a multi stage stratified random sampling procedure. PARTICIPANTS: The total sample size was 1590 male tribal dentate subjects aged 15-54 years. METHODS: Clinical recordings of oral hygiene status (OHI-S), caries status (DMFT and DMFS) and treatment needs, and periodontal status (CPI). The Chi square test was applied to discrete data and one way ANOVA for continuous data. Multivariate analyses were carried out to test the association of age, frequency of cleaning teeth, material used for cleaning teeth and dental visiting habits with caries and periodontal status. RESULTS: Debris, calculus and oral hygiene index scores increased with age. The overall mean DMFT and DMFS scores were 5.34 +/- 6.48 and 18.94 +/- 35.87 respectively. Extraction was the most required treatment (1.74 +/- 3.66 teeth) followed by one surface fillings (1.34 +/- 1.65 teeth). Shallow periodontal pockets were prevalent (40%) among the 35-44 years age group whereas deep pockets were most common (11.6%) in the oldest age group. More than half the sextants (3.15) were excluded amongst the oldest study group. All the independent variables namely age, frequency of cleaning teeth, substance used for cleaning teeth and visiting habits were statistically significantly related to caries and periodontal status. CONCLUSIONS: The study population was characterised by a lack of previous dental care, high treatment needs, high prevalence of periodontal disease and poor oral hygiene. Under these circumstances, the implementation of a basic oral health care programme for the Bhil population is a high priority.