Oral healthcare needs of the institutionalized ageing population in Tamil Nadu.

Background: . This study aimed to determine the oral health status and treatment needs of an elderly population residing in old-age homes in Tamil Nadu. Methods: . We did a cross-sectional study among people 65 years and older, residing in affordable and non-affordable old-age homes in Tamil Nadu. A total of 600 elderly people (332 from private, self-financed and 268 charitable old-age homes) were clinically examined and assessed using the WHO basic oral health proforma, 2013. The data obtained were entered into Microsoft Excel 2013 computer program, and then exported to the data editor page of SPSS version 16 for statistical analysis. Results: . The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) of the total study population were 22.21. On assessing the periodontal status, it was observed that only 36.9% of the elderly had healthy gingiva. Dental erosion (20.9%) was comparatively more prevalent than dental fluorosis (1.2%), dental trauma (3%) and oral mucosal lesions (11.7%) among the study population. The prevalence of denture wearers was 24.5%. On statistical analysis, the values for DMFT and denture status were significantly different (p<0.05) between those in private and charitable old-age homes. Conclusion: . The overall oral health status of the elderly was poor. The requirements of oral healthcare needs are higher among the elderly living in charitable homes than those in private, self-financed homes.

Awareness survey about the effects of malocclusion among young adults.

BACKGROUND: Malocclusion has been a problem since ancient times. Diverse factors influence malocclusion such as oral habits, anomalies in the dentition like changes in shape, position and number of teeth. But awareness and attitude about the problem differs within the neighborhood, depending upon their understanding and education. Hence, observation is essential to diminish and avoid the deleterious effects of malocclusion. Hence the objective of this study is to perceive the knowledge of youngsters and enlighten their perception on misaligned teeth. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A cross sectional study was conducted among 1000 young adults between ages 18-22 in Sathyabama University, Chennai, India. A questionnaire consisting of 24 multiple choice questions were given to the participants to assess their awareness, attitude towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. Descriptive statistics and chi square test was done using SPSS software version 20. The level of significance was set at 0.05. RESULTS: More than 70% of the participants show concern and interest on self-image, 39.9% of the total study population were unhappy with the arrangement of their teeth. There was an overall lack of knowledge about the etiology and the effects of malocclusion among the participants. 60.2% of the population have not visited a dentist in the past 3 years. Many had false impressions towards orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSION: Awareness about the effects of malocclusion among young adults seems to be lacking. Most of the time, the treatment is neglected until the need for it arises.