Dental caries status of inmates in central prison, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

AIM: To understand the dental health among prison inmates, we assessed the dental caries status of central prison inmates in Chennai, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1060 inmates from three divisions of the central prison in Chennai were assessed by a single investigator for dental caries status based on World Health Organization specifications. RESULTS: Among the inmates, 58.2% of males and 54.2% of females had decayed teeth. About 4.1% of males and 2.9% of females had filled teeth. The mean decayed, missing, filled teeth index was 5.1 and 3.9 for female and male prisoners, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries was highest among inmates younger than 24 years age. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that a high proportion of prison inmates was affected by dental caries, which necessitates the need for initiating oral health promotion activities among prison inmates.