DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE, PERIODONTAL STATUS AND OHRQoL AMONG PITIABLE PART OF SOCIETY (BEGGARS): A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Dr Devanshu Chaudhary

Volume : VIII, Issue : IX, September - 2019

DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE, PERIODONTAL STATUS AND OHRQoL AMONG PITIABLE PART OF SOCIETY (BEGGARS): A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Dr Devanshu Chaudhary

Abstract :

Introduction – Charity is the noblest cause of human virtues and due to these religious myths, begging became the traditional profession. Beggars are the people �asking passerby for money for themselves without offering anything in return�. They are always undermined, humiliated and neglected in society. Aim– To assess the dental caries experience, periodontal status and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) among Beggars in Western part of Uttar Pradesh, Modinagar. Materials and Method–A cross–sectional study was conducted among 113 beggars in Western part of Uttar Pradesh i.e. Modinagar using modified WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (1997) and Oral Health Impact Profile–14 (OHIP–14) questionnaire to assess the dental caries experience, periodontal status and OHRQoL. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and descriptive tests, including mean, standard deviation, and Spearman correlation coefficient were used. Results– Among113 beggars, 63.7% of the studied population was having dental caries and 43.2% of population was having gingival bleeding with periodontal pockets depth of 4–5 mm. Significant correlation was found in between decayed teeth and functional limitation with p value of 0.01 as well as missing teeth with the physically handicapped with p value of 0.007. Conclusion–The study showed high dental caries experience and periodontal diseases among the beggars with negative attitude towards oral health that lead to negative impact on the quality of life This may be due to their high level of unmet needs which highlights the need of establishing appropriate approaches for this population so as to improve their well being.