Self-Rated Oral Health and Associated Factors among an Adult Population in Rural India—An Epidemiological Study

Meghashyam Bhat, Sreevidya Bhat, Kaye Frances Roberts-Thomson and Loc Giang Do
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Meghashyam Bhat: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Sreevidya Bhat: Srinivas Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore and Affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru 560041, Karnataka, India
Kaye Frances Roberts-Thomson: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Loc Giang Do: School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4006, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-8

Abstract: Background: To determine the perception of oral health status and its associated factors among adults living in rural areas in Karnataka state, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in the age group of 35–54 years old residing in villages in a southern state in India. The main outcome measure was poor self-rated oral health (SROH) among adults in rural India. Results: About 873 adults participated in the study. The prevalence of poor SROH was 15.2%. Adults of age 40–44 years, females, those in lower socioeconomic conditions, and those with high caries experience (DMFT ? 4) and periodontal disease were associated with poor SROH. Those who had visited a dentist in the previous one year were 1.9 times more likely to report poor oral health. Conclusions: Nearly 15% of rural people reported poor oral health. Socioeconomic conditions, sex, age, smoking, and dental visiting were associated with poor SROH. People’s perception of poor oral health was associated with severe periodontitis and DMFT ? 4. A dose–response relationship was observed between experience with dental caries and poor SROH.

Keywords: self-rated oral health; rural; adults; DMFT; periodontal disease; dental visiting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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