Oral hygiene status, oral hygiene practices and periodontal health of brick kiln workers of Odisha

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene status, oral hygiene practices, and periodontal health among brick kiln workers of Odisha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four hundred and eight subjects (300 males and 108 females) between the ages of 22 and 65 years with mean age of 33.44 ± 2.34 years working in various brick kilns in the district of Khordha, Odisha, participated in the survey. Data were collected through personal interview and clinical examinations. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of periodontal diseases among brick kiln workers was 86.27%. There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of Community periodontal index (CPI) (P < 0.001) and loss of attachment score scores (P < 0.001). Periodontal disease was significantly associated with age, oral hygiene status, practices, and tissues abuse habits. Most of the workers were males (59%), in the age group of 30–40 years (40.69%), having only a primary level of education (75.98%) and were married (80.88%). Majority of the workers brushed their teeth once daily (78.9%) with toothbrush (51.5%) and used toothpaste (41.2%). Most of them were found to be consuming paan or gutkha as compared to cigarette or beedi smoking. Among the subjects with a CPI >2, higher prevalence of periodontal disease was seen in subjects older than 50 years of age (86.7%), those brushing once daily only (75.2%), brushing with finger (82.8%), with higher frequency and duration of consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and having a poor oral hygiene (85.5%). CONCLUSION: The survey among brick kiln workers revealed that the oral hygiene status was poor, they had ill-informed oral hygiene practices and most of them were suffering from periodontal disease.