A study on assessment of oral hygiene status and practices among community dwellers of Peenya 2nd stage, Bangalore

Abstract

Background and Objective: Oral diseases are topping the list of some common diseases in the world. Poor oral hygiene is a known important predisposing factor of some oral diseases. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess the oral hygiene status and practices, to create oral health awareness and to suggest measures for improving oral health status among the community dwellers of Peenya 2nd stage, Bangalore. Methods: The present study was descriptive cross sectional community based study conducted in Peenya 2nd stage locality of Bangalore. A total of 400 subjects were included. A predesigned, pretested, structured schedule consisting of questions on various aspects regarding socio-demographic profile, oral hygiene, oral health problems and practices were administered to the participants fulfilling inclusion criteria. Data regarding oral hygiene status were obtained by using Oral Hygiene Index (simplified). SSPS 16.0 software was used for data analysis. Results: Findings of the study revealed that, Oral hygiene status was good in 23.5% subjects where as 59.7% and 16.8% subjects had fair and poor status respectively. A strong relation was found between oral hygiene status and socioeconomic status. Present study confirmed significant association between oral hygiene status and oral hygiene practices. Prevalence of dental caries, Stains, Calculus and Plaque were found 65.5%, 89.5%, 46.5% and 39.3% respectively. Halitosis/ bad breath was found to be 40.8%. Relationship between sweet consumption and Oral hygiene status was quite significant. Interpretation and Conclusion: Present study reveals that increasing prevalence of oral diseases and poor oral hygiene and practices among the community dwellers of Peenya 2nd stage highlights that there is an urgent need to enhance oral health and hygiene practices, and along with that the need for dental health programme to target the population at community level is emphasized.