A cross-sectional study on oral health status of battery factory workers in Chennai city

Impact of tobacco habits on poor oral health status among bone-factory workers in a low literacy city in India: A cross-sectional study

Oral health is a vital indicator of well-being that is influenced by various habits and lifestyles of individuals. Oral diseases are the bottleneck in the effective control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to chronic in nature and reciprocal relationship as sharing the common risk factors and habits such as sugar, tobacco, and alcohol consumption that increase the risk of developing various inevitable diseases. However, there is a lack of literature highlighting the relationship between risk factors for oral diseases and general health among individuals. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 500 study participants aged 20 to 64 years who gave written informed consent and were recruited by Multistage Stratified Cluster Sampling technique among workers in five bone factories, working for at least one year since January 2001 to March 2022 in Sambhal city, Uttar Pradesh. WHO-Basic Oral Health Survey-1997 was used to record the data regarding sociodemographic and oral health status variables. We used the modified WHO-STEPWISE pre-structured questionnaire to record tobacco consumption habits and oral health-seeking behavior. We scheduled a clinical intra-oral examination to record the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the interview on the premises of five bone factories. Among the 500 bone-factory workers, the total number of males was 342 (68.40%) and 158 (31.60%) were females. The mean age (Standard Deviation) was 33.18 (10), and the mean DMFT score of factory workers was 2.84 (3.12). Production workers had the highest mean DMFT score of 4.60 (3.25). More than half of the factory workers (53.2%) were tobacco users. Tobacco users were 3.52 times more likely to have a severe DMFT index. Most common pre-cancerous lesions were oral submucous fibrosis and leukoplakia. Compared to non-tobacco users, mild tobacco users have 6.80 folds higher odds of oral lesions. Tobacco consumption is not only harmful for oral health but also leads to several non-communicable and systemic diseases. NCDs and dental caries are chronic and preventable conditions with a bidirectional relationship implicated by modifiable major risk factors such as tobacco consumption. Decreasing the consumption of tobacco use may improve oral health and reduce the risk of the development of NCDs. Also, regular dental visits should be scheduled to monitor the oral health status of factory workers. Additionally, tailored intervention for tobacco cessation should be implicated to maintain the general and oral health of industrial workers.

Dental Erosion-An Occupational Hazard among Battery Manufacturing Industry Workers in Hyderabad, India

Background and Objective

Dental erosion is a condition that results from exposure of the enamel and dentin to non-bacterial acids of extrinsic and intrinsic origin, causing mineral loss on the surface of the tooth. Occupational exposure to sulfuric acid fumes has been described in association with dental erosion in battery manufacturing industry workers. Hence, this study aimed to assess the dental erosion among battery factory workers in HBL Power Systems Ltd, Hyderabad.

Materials and Methods

The sample consisted of 90 battery factory workers (62 males and 28 females). Demographic data with regard to age, gender, and length of exposure were recorded. Clinical examination was done to assess dental erosion using the tooth wear index given by Smith and Knight. Data were statistically analyzed by using Fisher exact test. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Among 90 workers examined, 43.3% showed prevalence of erosion with higher occurrence rate in females (54%) than males (38.7%). 66.6% of affected workers had erosion score of 1, and 33.4% showed erosion score of 2 and 3. We also observed statistically significant highest prevalence and increased severity of dental erosion in workers with prolonged duration of employment (>11 years).

Conclusion

The present study revealed increased prevalence of dental erosion among battery factory workers. Hence, it highlights the importance of protective measures with efficient surveillance and monitoring in the workplace environment.

Oral hygiene habits, oral health status, and oral health care seeking behaviors among spinning mill workers in Guntur district: A cross-sectional study

Introduction:

Though the oral health status of workers from different industries was reported in literature, there is little information with regard to spinning mill workers. The aim of this study was to document the oral health status, oral hygiene routine, and frequency of utilization of oral health care services among spinning mill workers in Guntur district.

Materials and Methods:

458 spinning mill workers in Guntur district participated in this study. Data on hygiene practices, self-reported dental problems, past dental visits, type and place of availed treatments, and barriers for utilizing dental services were recorded. Oral health status was examined using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, DMFT index, and Community Periodontal Index.

Results:

Female participants were found to have better oral hygiene status compared to males, which is partially significant. Similar was the scenario when caries experience was considered. Majority of the study subjects (74%) have a DMFT score of 1–6. There were 86 participants without any coronal caries experience. The mean coronal caries experience was more among older spinning mill workers compared to the younger workers. The difference in DMFT scores between males and females was not significant. Majority of the participants (46.3%) were with CPI score 2, while only 10.2% were observed to have all healthy sextants. 136 subjects (30.15%) demonstrated loss of attachment of some severity.

Conclusion:

Though the oral hygiene habits reported by the spinning mill workers were fair, oral health care seeking behaviors were found to be less informed. There is a serious need to improve the oral health awareness and care seeking behaviors among these workers.

Impact of occupational dental erosion on oral health-related quality of life among battery factory workers in Bengaluru, India

BACKGROUND

A greater understanding of impact of occupational dental erosion on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) will sensitize both employee and employers to adopt strict protective measures for oral health. The research aimed to determine the relationship between occupational dental erosion and OHRQoL among battery and other factory workers in Bengaluru, India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional comparative study enrolled a total of 400 workers. Structured proforma assessed information on sociodemographic details, oral hygiene practices, adverse oral habits, and work-related practices. OHRQoL was determined using oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14). Dental erosion was measured using Smith and Knight's tooth wear index modified by Millward et al. 1994 scoring system independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Spearman's correlation was performed. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants in the study and control groups was 43.11 ± 8.02 and 45.93 ± 6.16 years, respectively. Less than half of the participants in the study group had positive behavioral work practice. The prevalence and severity of dental erosion was significantly higher in study group (39.5%) than control group (11.5%). Mean OHIP-14 score was significantly lower in study group (23.88 ± 0.88) than control group (26.06 ± 9.67). Dental erosion significantly correlated with work experience and OHIP-14.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the impact of occupational dental erosion on OHRQoL. Measures to enhance occupational safety thereby reducing exposure to occupational hazards are needed.