Open AccessAssessment of disease burden among army personnel and dependents in Lucknow city
Author(s) -
Anil T. Ahuja,
Brig Narinder Singh
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of the indian association of public health dentistry/journal of indian association of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2350-0484
pISSN - 2319-5932
DOI - 10.4103/2319-5932.153554
Subject(s) - medicine , chewing tobacco , oral hygiene , military personnel , test (biology) , population , environmental health , dentistry , family medicine , gerontology , paleontology , cancer , political science , law , biology
Oral health is a valuable asset for an individual. The oral cavity has a significant role to play in providing a satisfactory lifestyle including proper mastication, phonetics, esthetics, appearance, communication abilities and an overall emotional well-being. Very fewer studies have been carried out in the past on disease burden of army personnel and their dependents. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 2160 army personnel and their dependents reporting to Command Military Dental Center, Lucknow. The study population was screened for caries, periodontal status and prosthetic status and treatment need, oral hygiene practice and prevalence of the tobacco habit. All relevant information was noted into a Proforma. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 version (Chicago, Inc., USA). The results are presented in percentage and mean (±standard deviation). The unpaired t-test and Chi-square test were used. The P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The oral hygiene awareness is adequate among serving, and dependents and practices of oral hygiene were also adequate. The higher prevalence of the tobacco habit was found among young army personnel than older. There was a significant association of smoking and periodontal disease. Leukoplakia was common oral mucosal lesion between smokers. Conclusion: This study will help to access dental disease occurrence rate and evaluate treatment needs and also to formulate a plan for augmentation of resources. The study will also create awareness about oral hygiene practices and oral habits among army personnel and their dependents