Comparative Evaluation of the Prevalence of Dental Caries, Apical Periodontitis and Periapical Abscess in a Population of North Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Background: Dental caries and periodontal diseases are considered as a major public health problem globally and can be seen across all age groups and in all populations. Several socio-behavioral factors like stress-strain of changing lifestyles as well as consumption of high-sugar diet leads to the alteration in the balance of hormones like progesterone, estrogen and GSH and can affect prevalence of dental diseases. Aims: To evaluate and compare the prevalence of dental caries, apical periodontitis and periapical abscess in a population of North Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: 60 patients from north Lucknow population were observed in a free dental camp. Out of these 60 patients, nothing was seen in 30 patients (control group) and in other 30 patients dental caries, apical periodontitis and periapical abscess were detected. Diagnosis was done with the help of diagnostic instruments and intraoral periapical radiographs. Out of the 30 patients in which dental diseases were detected, 6 people had dental caries, 17 had apical periodontitis and the remaining 7 had periapical abscess. Conclusions: In this study, dental caries were found to be more prevalent in females than in males. However, both apical periodontitis and periapical abscess were more prevalent in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]