Assessment of oral health needs among health care workers in Udaipur, India

Abstract

Background: Health care workers are a part of community that provides health care services. They facilitate people from primary preventions to complex treatment procedures. In the course they often neglect their own health prospects especially oral health. The attitude regarding oral health in health care workers in India is a cause of concern. The aim of the study is to assess the oral health needs of the health care workers in Udaipur, India and to utilize data to be used as a guideline for improvements in their oral health care and improving their quality of life. Methodology: A written oral health case history format was prepared and was carefully examined on all willing participants for the study along with dental indices recording related to dental caries and tooth wear. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS 21 software. Results: 87.5% of the health care workers were suffering from dental caries. Also, 16.3% had root stumps in their oral cavity of the teeth which were lost due to caries. Also, 17.5% participants had grossly decayed teeth due to caries. Noticeably, attrition of teeth was also noticed in 65% of the participants. These findings can be attributed to the amount of sugar present in food, lack of oral hygiene and poor oral health habits. Conclusion: Their knowledge regarding oral health care habits needs improvement. They are the people who can themselves apply and guide others to maintain good oral habits. Efforts should be established by caretakers to instill oral health education in health care workers.