Is the profession of dentistry losing its yesteryear's glory? An exploratory study from dental students' perspective.

INTRODUCTION: The regard for dentistry as a profession has been declining over the recent years in light of the increasing number of dental students graduating per year with negligible improvement in the utilization of oral health care services. In this context, it is important to document the perceptions and apprehensions of the current dental students as these feelings would have an influence on the roles they assume as dentists in future. AIM: With this background, this study attempts to document the willingness of dental students from three South Indian states to re-choose dentistry given an opportunity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among house surgeons from 12 dental institutions, 4 each from the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamilnadu. The semi-structured questionnaire used in this study consisted of five primary questions along with details on the participants' gender, type of admission. It aimed at documenting the willingness to re-choose dentistry given an opportunity, and the reasons for their willingness or otherwise. A total of 822 students constituted the final sample. SPSS version 20 software was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Majority of the study participants were from Tamil Nadu, not reported dentistry as their primary career choice, and demonstrated reluctance in re-choosing dentistry given an opportunity. A significantly higher percentage of dental students from Tamil Nadu reported dentistry as their first professional choice. This observation persisted in the response of students for the question on their willingness to re-choose dentistry. CONCLUSION: The study results demonstrate the declining interest and regard for dentistry among the current dental students with nominal variations between students from the three South Indian states.

Oral hygiene habits, oral health status, and oral health care seeking behaviors among spinning mill workers in Guntur district: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Though the oral health status of workers from different industries was reported in literature, there is little information with regard to spinning mill workers. The aim of this study was to document the oral health status, oral hygiene routine, and frequency of utilization of oral health care services among spinning mill workers in Guntur district. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 458 spinning mill workers in Guntur district participated in this study. Data on hygiene practices, self-reported dental problems, past dental visits, type and place of availed treatments, and barriers for utilizing dental services were recorded. Oral health status was examined using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, DMFT index, and Community Periodontal Index. RESULTS: Female participants were found to have better oral hygiene status compared to males, which is partially significant. Similar was the scenario when caries experience was considered. Majority of the study subjects (74%) have a DMFT score of 1-6. There were 86 participants without any coronal caries experience. The mean coronal caries experience was more among older spinning mill workers compared to the younger workers. The difference in DMFT scores between males and females was not significant. Majority of the participants (46.3%) were with CPI score 2, while only 10.2% were observed to have all healthy sextants. 136 subjects (30.15%) demonstrated loss of attachment of some severity. CONCLUSION: Though the oral hygiene habits reported by the spinning mill workers were fair, oral health care seeking behaviors were found to be less informed. There is a serious need to improve the oral health awareness and care seeking behaviors among these workers.