Oral health status and treatment needs among factory employees in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industrial hub, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status and treatment needs among factory employees in Baddi (Himachal Pradesh), India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1384 employees in 38 factories. Information regarding demographic details, habits and data on oral health status and treatment needs was collected on modified World Health Organization (WHO) format (1997) and WHO criteria and Pindborg's colored atlas were used for diagnosis of oro-mucosal lesions. Results: Tobacco pouch was the most common lesion found and buccal mucosa was the most common site involved. The prevalence of caries was found to be 18.5% of which males were 15.2% and females were 84.8%. The mean decayed filled missing teeth was 2.18 and was higher among females (3.18) than males (2.0). Need for one unit prosthesis was required for both maxillary and mandibular arches (9.5% and 14.8% respectively). Community periodontal index score 2 was found more in males 58.4% than females 48.8%, which was significantly related to brushing frequency. Conclusion: The result from the baseline study indicate that primary oral health-care programs like dental screening and oral health education at regular intervals should be made mandatory, which will help to prevent accumulation of health-care demands of the factory employees.