Prosthetic status and treatment needs of prisoners in central prison, chennai.

Prisoners who are entangled in legal matters and imprisonment are isolated from family members and other social activities and rarely give attention to their general health and oral health. The present study aims to assess the prosthetic status and treatment needs of prisoners in Central Prison, Chennai. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted in Central Prison, Chennai. The study population consisted of 1,060 prisoners from three divisions of the Central Prison. A single examiner assessed the prosthetic status of the prisoners according to WHO specifications. The present study shows that among males, 2.3 % of the subjects had bridge, 1.2 % had partial denture in the upper jaw, 0.8 % had bridge and 0.4 % had partial denture in the lower jaw. Among females, 8.6 % had partial denture in the upper jaw and 5.7 % had partial denture in the lower jaw. This study shows that edentulousness was a common problem among the prisoners. The prosthetic needs of this group of people should be delivered with the services of a prosthodontist in the prison settings. Oral health care facilities should be incorporated in prison settings which would intercept the progress of dental diseases and thus minimize tooth loss.