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ARTICLE
Year : 2011  |  Volume : 9  |  Issue : 6  |  Page : 639-644

Oral Health Related Quality of Life in Periodontal Patients in Indian Rural Population: Does It Really Impact and relevant to all Types of Populations?


1 Dept of Public Health Dentistry, Vikarabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
2 Sri Sai College of Dental Surgery, Vikarabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


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Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the periodontal health status of three classes of rural Indian patients and correlate with its impact on the life quality utilizing instrument usually employed to measure OHRQoL Methods: Periodontal examination using WHO criteria was carried out in three classes of rural Indian subjects viz. tribals (N 107), villagers ( N 123) and teacher trainees (87). Patient characteristics were obtained from a socioeconomic questionnaire and perceived oral health was measured by a single question which required them to state how they could describe health of their teeth and gums. OHRQoL was assessed by a questionnaire consisting of six questions related to psychosocial parameters . Results: None of the subjects in all the three groups related their oral health as excellent. Very fe i.e 6.89 %, 1.62 5 % AND 13.79 % in group A, B and C respectively had all six sextants free from periodontal disease but still did not rate their oral health as excellent. Loss of periodontal support was perceived as poor in Tribal group but such association was not reflected in socially educationally better placed group B and C subjects. Majority of the individuals, in spite of having considerable periodontal disease burden answered 'never' when questions were asked about influence on eating, relaxing, going out etc. Conclusion: most of the subjects in all the three groups did not correlate their poor periodontal status with any key areas of life. In spite of periodontal problems, majority of the subjects were of the opinion that their dental/periodontal status did not seem to affect their social life. They were not able to comprehend the questionnaire and instruments designed for assessment of OHRoL and impact of oral health on psychosocial parameters are not relevant to poor and illiterate and seem to be appropriate for the affluent and entirely different social class of people.


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