Journal of Disability and Oral Health
- Cover Date:
- September 2009
- Print ISSN:
- 1470-8558
- Vol:
- 10
- Issue:
- 3
Oral health status and oral impact on daily performance in an adult population with leprosy living in rural Tanzania
Aim: To assess levels of oral health and their impact on daily performance (OIDP) in an adult population with leprosy, living in a rural village in Tanzania. Objectives: The objectives were threefold: to carry out an oral examination; to undertake a questionnaire survey; to make recommendations for provision of oral health care services. Design: The study was an opportunistic population survey: carried out over four days. Adults with leprosy living at Bukumbi Care Centre (BCC) were recruited. An oral examination and an OIDP questionnaire were carried out for each subject after obtaining consent. Results: Thirty three people were recruited, 15 men and 18 women, with an age range of 27-88 years (mean = 60 years). The mean DMFT was 10.48 (D=3.45, M=7.03, F=0.0) and 18 subjects (54.5%) presented with tooth mobility. Twenty people (60.6%) required treatment, but access to care was reported to be limited. The prevalence of oral impacts was 75.7%. The most common activities affected were eating, sleeping and cleaning teeth, with toothache being the main reason for reported problems. Conclusion: The impact of dental disease on this population is significant and access to dental care is very limited. It is recommended that local government and the charity Bridge2Aid, work together to improve access to oral health education and emergency dental care for the residents of Bukumbi Care Centre.
Key words: Rural Tanzania, leprosy, oral health, impact of oral disease
- Article Price
- £15.00
- Institution Article Price
- £
- Page Start
- 124
- Page End
- 130
- Authors
- Katherine E Wilson, Rachel Opie
Articles from this issue
- Title
- Pg. Start
- Pg. End
- Proposals for a dental care professional qualification in special care dentistry: results of a UK survey
- 115
- 121
- Oral health status and oral impact on daily performance in an adult population with leprosy living in rural Tanzania
- 124
- 130