Effect of westernization on oral health among college students of Udaipur City, India.

BACKGROUND: There is overwhelming evidence that periodontal disease and dental caries affect the majority of populations and that western culture and lifestyle may have a profound influence on oral health, especially in adults. The present study was performed to determine the effect of westernization on the oral health of college students of Udaipur City, Rajasthan. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending various professional and non-professional bachelor's degree colleges of Udaipur City, Rajasthan, India, from March 2013 to May 2013. Eight hundred students were selected based on a two-stage random sampling procedure. Westernization was assessed by a self-administered structured questionnaire. Periodontal status, dental caries status and malocclusion were assessed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1997). Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square and Multivariate logistic regression. The confidence level and level of significance were set at 95 and 5 %, respectively. RESULTS: The present study suggested that adverse habits, listening to English music and preferring English food had a significant association with dental caries and periodontal diseases. Malocclusion also showed a significant relationship with consuming English food for snacks and desserts. Multivariate analysis revealed a significantly greater odds ratio (OR) for periodontal disease and dental caries among those who preferred English food for lunch. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the present study, there is an association between westernization and oral health.

Assessment of oral health among seafarers in Mundra Port, Kutch, Gujarat: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A seafarer is a person who navigates waterborne vessels or assists as a crewmember in their operation and maintenance in all tough weather, but little research has been done to identify conditions that may lead to assess seafarer general health as well as oral health. AIM: To assess oral diseases including dental caries and periodontal conditions among seafarer's population arrived in Mundra Port, Kutch, Gujarat, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess oral health condition of seafarer community of Mundra Taluka of Kutch District, Gujarat, India, from July 2014 to September 2014. RESULTS: Total of 385 subjects participated in the survey. Adverse habits show the overall 72.3% prevalence among the study population. Occurrence rate of caries, periodontal disease and prosthetic status were 88%, 75.1% and 6.5%, respectively. The best predictors for Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT), Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and prosthetic status were oral hygiene practices, adverse habit and educational status. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of the present study suggest that oral health condition of seafarer community was relatively poor, with high caries prevalence and poor periodontal health. This epidemiological survey has provided baseline information to underpin the implementation of oral health programmes.

Assessment of intelligence quotient among schoolchildren of fishermen community of Kutch, Gujarat, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the intelligence quotient of fishermen school children of Kutch, Gujarat, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 8 to 10 years old school children living in Kutch District, Gujarat, India, from January to February 2013. Seguin Form Board Test was used to assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) level of children. Means of groups were compared by independent student t-test. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors for IQ. RESULTS: The mean average timing taken by fishermen school children to complete the test was 30.64 ± 4.97. Males had significantly lower mean timing scores than females (p < 0.05). Participants with severe dental fluorosis, low socio-economic status (SES), lower education level of both mother and father and those who were overweight had significantly higher mean timing scores for average category. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested a low IQ among fishermen school children community of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The major factors which influenced their IQ were dental fluorosis, low SES, low education level of parents and high body mass index.

Oral health status of fishermen and non-fishermen community of Kutch district, Gujarat, India: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Fishing is one such hazardous occupation, which involves irregular diet, stress, alcoholism, tobacco and pernicious habits. Fishermen have lower socio-economic status and their illiteracy adds to their poor oral hygiene, which may influence general and oral health. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess and compare the oral health status of fishermen and non-fishermen population of Kutch District, Gujarat, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess and compare the oral health status of the fishermen and non-fishermen community of Mundra taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat, India, from January 2013 to June 2013. RESULTS: Fishermen had significantly higher periodontal disease and dental caries than non-fishermen group (p = 0.001). Malocclusion was significantly higher in non-fishermen group (p = 0.001). Extraction was the most prevalent treatment need among both groups. Occupation and educational status were respectively identified as the best predictors for dental caries and periodontal disease. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of the present study suggest that oral health status of the fishermen population was relatively poor, with high caries prevalence and poor periodontal health when compared to the non-fishermen population. In the light of high treatment needs of the study population, health policy that emphasises oral health promotion and prevention would seem more advantageous in addition to traditional curative care.

Comparative Assessment of Intelligence Quotient among Children Living in High and Low Fluoride Areas of Kutch, India-a Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term ingestion of large amounts of fluoride can lead to potentially severe skeletal problems and neurological consequences. The study was conducted to assess and compare intelligence quotient of children living in high and low fluoride areas in Kutch, Gujarat, India. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 100 school children aged 8 to 10 years, living in Kutch District, Gujarat, India during July 2012. Mundra (2.4 to 3.5 mg/L) and Bhuj (0.5mg/L) were the two villages randomly selected to represent the high and low water fluoride areas respectively. Seguin Form Board Test was used to assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) level of children. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test was used for analysis. RESULTS: Mean scores for average, shortest and total timing category were found to be significantly higher (P<0.05) among children living in Mundra (30.45±4.97) than those living in Bhuj (23.20±6.21). Mean differences at 95% confidence interval for these timings were found to be 7.24, 7.28 and 21.78 respectively. In both the villages, females had lower mean timing scores than males but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Chronic exposure to high levels of fluoride in water was observed to be associated with lower intelligence quotient.