Abstract :
Introduction: Oral health is an integral component of general health and poor oral health has a profound
effect on the whole body. Oral health is indispensable for the wellbeing and good quality of life. India, a
developing country, faces many challenges in rendering oral health needs of a community. The current study
is conducted with objective 1) To assess the common oral health problems of 5-15 years young adolescents
in a resettlement colony and 2) to study the related health seeking behavior among study subjects.
Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in a resettlement colony of East Delhi,
India. Simple random sampling method was used to select the blocks and for selection of households
from each block. Data collection was done using a pretested interview schedule and a complete oral cavity
examination was done of all the subjects.
Results: Around half,that is 227 (49.3) of the subjects had one or more oral health problem, at the time of
examination, while average oral health problem per child was 0.87. Common oral health problems found
were problems of teeth 169 (36.8%), problems of gums 155(33.7%), problems of lips 50(10.8%), problems
of oral cavity 24(5.2%) and problems of tongue 5(1.1%). Only 24(10.5%) subjects have taken prescribed
treatment, while others have not consulted for any oral health problem.
Conclusion: Oral health problems are present in half of the study population. The disease burden is large
and oral health care received is very negligible. Awareness about the oral health and regular dental checkups remain an important intervention for maintaining and promoting oral health.
Keyword :
Delhi, Oral health problems, Young adolescents