Assessing the Effect of Iron on Oral Health Status among the General Population Residing in High and Low Levels of Iron Blocks in Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

AIM: This study aims to assess the effect of iron on oral health status among the general population residing in high and low levels of iron blocks in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of iron on oral health among people in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, India. The sample size was estimated to be 600, which were equally divided into two groups based on the high and low levels of iron (300 samples) content of water in the Namakkal district based on the multistage random sampling method. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the demographic data and oral hygiene practices of the people. Dental stains were recorded using a modified Lobene stain index. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The area and intensity of the dental stains were not significant with age, gender, and blocks. There was no statistically significant difference between the high iron and low iron blocks for the area (A), intensity (I), and I × A of stains. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that the water samples with both high and low levels of iron had a strong impact on the oral health of the people.