Year : 2015

Volume : Volume 5

Issue : Issue 1

Address for correspondence :
Dr. Jyoti Bala
jyotibala@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:  Parents are the primary caretakers and saviours of a child but woefully thousands of children have to lead their lives without parents, the later either being dead or incapable of bringing up their children. Such children form a unique section of the society called as orphans.  Objectives of the study: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of all the children and adolescents residing in the orphanages at Bengaluru city.  Methods: A total of 44 centres were included in the study consisting of a population of 2477 inmates. All the inmates aged 3 to 18 years residing in the orphanages, available during the study period. WHO oral health assessment form 1997 was used to record the following clinical parameters: Extra-oral examination, Temperomandibular joint assessment, Oral mucosal lesions, Enamel Opacities/Hypoplasia, Dental Fluorosis, Community periodontal index, Loss of attachment, Dentition status and Treatment needs, Prosthetic status and needs, Dentofacial anomalies and need for care and referral.  Results: The total study population was 2477, comprising of 959 (38.31 %) male and 1518 (61.38%) females. In intra-oral examination, subjects with ulceration were 102 (4.1 %), Candidiasis were 3 (0.1 %), abscess 12 (0.48 %). The most commonly seen enamel opacity/hypoplasia by condition was diffuse opacity affecting 325 (13.1 %) subjects. Gingival bleeding and calculus were the most frequent with a prevalence of 22.2 % and 56.4 % respectively. The prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth was found to be 37.5 % and in permanent teeth was 26.7 %. A total of 8.9 % of inmates had definite malocclusion and 2.3 % had severe malocclusion.  Conclusion: The overall results showed that dental caries experience was low but the prevalence of gingivitis and fractured teeth was high. The unmet needs for the decayed teeth were also found to be high.

Keywords: Oral health status, Treatment needs, Inmates, Orphanages, Bengaluru.