“Risk assessment for periodontal disease associated tooth loss among rural and urban population of 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65-74 years age groups of Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India: An epidemiological study

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the risk for periodontal disease-associated tooth loss among rural and urban population of Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done on 1200 urban and rural adults (632 males and 568 females) aged 35–74 years. Data were collected, followed by clinical examination for missing teeth. One-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc test, Chi-square test, and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The mean number of periodontal disease-associated tooth loss in the study population was 4.2 ± 7.4. A significant association was found between the place of residence and tooth loss (3.5 ± 6.8 urban; 4.7 ± 7.8 rural), with rural adults showing greater tooth loss compared to urban adults (P < 0.01). Tooth loss increased significantly with age, ranging from mean number of 1.2 teeth in 35–44 years old to 11.5 teeth among 65–74 years old (P < 0.001). Gender showed a significant difference (P < 0.01) in tooth loss between males (4.7 ± 7.7) and females (3.6 ± 6.9). A significant association for tooth loss was also found with respect to the level of education and socioeconomic status (P < 0.001). A decrease in the mean number of missing teeth with increasing education and better socioeconomic status was observed, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The insights gained illustrate that tooth loss was 57% in rural and urban Barabanki district population, and the significant risks identified were age, illiterate, marital status, and low socioeconomic status.