Prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease among transgenders in Belagavi district, Karnataka, India: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To assess the oral health practices and the prevalence of dental caries, and periodontal disease among transgenders.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The study was conducted on a sample of 180 participants from the transgender community in Belagavi district over a course of two months. A trained and calibrated examiners recorded oral health status according to WHO dentition status and treatment needs (1997) and Community Periodontal Index (CPI) under the supervision of the subject expert. Chi-square test, spearman's rank correlation coefficient test, multiple linear regression and logistic regression were applied. The statistical significance was set at p ≤ .05 for all the tests. The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease among transgenders was 72.2% and 92.2%, respectively. A positive linear correlation and a significant relationship was found between the oral hygiene practices/deleterious habits and dental caries among the transgenders. Multiple linear regression model revealed that the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease was significantly associated with age and oral hygiene practices.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases among transgenders was high. These results may be of use to promote oral health promotion and establishing a paradigm for dentists to work toward improving oral health.

Effectiveness of a Visual Interactive Game on Oral Hygiene Knowledge, Practices, and Clinical Parameters among Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a novel interactive game-based visual performance technique (IGVP) and conventional oral health educational (OHE) talk on plaque control, gingival health, and oral hygiene knowledge and practices in 12−15-year-old schoolchildren. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was undertaken in a private primary school in Belagavi, Karnataka, India. A total of 100 children aged 12−15 years were randomly assigned to either a conventional OHE talk (control group, n = 50) or the IGVP technique (test group, n = 50), using a computer-generated table of random numbers. A self-designed, pre-validated closed-ended questionnaire was collected from both groups, followed by clinical examination carried out using gingival and plaque index, pre- and post-intervention, at three months follow-up. There was a significant reduction in the mean gingival score and plaque score in the test group after intervention, indicating a 58.7% and 63.4% reduction, when compared to the control group, which had a 2.8% and 0.7% reduction, respectively (p < 0.001). The test group showed a significant increase in the percentage of knowledge gained (22.4%), compared to control group (7.8%). The IGVP technique proved to be more effective than a conventional OHE talk in the reduction of the plaque score, gingival score, and in the improvement of the knowledge of oral hygiene maintenance and its application.

Dental caries, oral hygiene status and treatment needs of fishermen and non-fishermen population in South Goa, India

BACKGROUND

Occupation plays a major role in the well-being of an individual and has an influence on oral health. Fishing is one such occupation that entails a lot of physical labour and encourages habits that lead to poor oral health. Therefore, it is critical to shed light on the oral health of this isolated population to improve their quality of life by various means. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene status and treatment needs of fisherman and non-fisherman population in South Goa, India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study design was cross-sectional in nature. After a pilot study, multi-stage random sampling technique was employed and 400 study participants were recruited. World Health Organization Oral Health Assessment Form (1997) and Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) were used to record the study variables. Inter-examiner reliability assessed using Kappa statistics were found to be 90% and 88%, respectively. The data was analysed using descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and linear and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Fishermen had significantly higher caries prevalence (82%) and poor oral hygiene (46%) than non- -fishermen. Extraction (42.2%) and pulp care (23.6%) were the highest treatment need among fishermen. They were 2.08 times more prone to dental caries than non-fishermen. Fishermen who used a toothbrush were 4.5 times less susceptible to caries. The dependence of caries prevalence and OHI-S score on occupation, oral hygiene aid and age were 14% and 25.8%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Fishermen in South Goa had high caries prevalence, poor oral hygiene status and they required extensive dental treatment when compared to non-fishermen.