Prevalence of social myths and taboos related to dental health among general population of Rawalpindi - Pakistan

It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2010 to explore various misconceptions and taboos about dental health to see their prevalence in the community and to assess their effects on general dental health. The survey was carried out using convenient sampling technique of 300 adults. A Questionnaire in Urdu language consisting of ten close-ended questions regarding most common myths related to dental health in the community was used. SPSS version 16 was used for data analysis. Most of the respondents were found strong believers of various myths irrespective of their qualification level. The results of this study shows that general population of Rawalpindi believes in various myths regarding teeth and their health which results in poor dental health. This might be due to lack of knowledge about the dentition, dental health and its importance

Distribution of dental caries and its relationship to risk factors

The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of caries in the oral cavity and its relationship to risk factors. A total of 115 patients including both males and females were randomly selected for the study. Information about risk factors was collected by face to face interviews. Oral examination was performed to evaluate distribution of caries. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Mean DMFT index of the studied population was calculated to be 5.04. The value was higher in females than males. Prevalence of caries was high in the mandible as compared to maxilla. Most frequently involved teeth were first and second molars and occlusal surface was the commonly affected surface. There was a significant relationship between caries and risk factors. Distribution of dental caries in the oral cavity follows a specific pattern. Risk factors influence the caries susceptibility of the individuals