Prevalence Pattern Of Dental Caries In Rural Population Of Punjab (India).

India being a developing country, confronts the issue of decayed teeth on a regular basis. However, baseline data on dentition status of rural population in Punjab is scarce. Methods: Adescriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess oral health status of 12 to 74 year old subjects in Ferozepur District. Results: Sample consisted of 340 subjects with 55.9% (n=190) females. Mean DMFT of the sample was 5.81±7.80. Dental decay was found to occur in 67.94% (n=231) of the total population with 60.17% (n=139) females and 39.81% (n=92) males having dental decay and this difference was significant (`7;2=5.38, PX04;0.01). Aone-way between subjects ANOVA revealed that there was a significant effect of age on dental caries prevalence (F (3,336)=17.92, P<0.001). Most affected teeth by dental caries were the first and second molars and made up for more than half of the total number of decayed teeth (53.4%, n=463). 95.88% (n=326) subjects required dental treatment and almost three fourth of the sample needed one or two surface fillings (77.94%, n=265). Conclusion: The caries experience and treatment needs of this cohort were comparative to those reported by other studies in rural India. Disproportionate distribution of dental professionals in the urban and rural areas along with lack of awareness, appear to be the prevailing causes of poor oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]