Assessment of oral health status of Rabari tribal community residing in Gorwar Region, Rajasthan

Abstract

Introduction: Determining the health needs of indigenous peoples in ways that are respectful of their culture & identity is a significant challenge for public health. The Rabari are a nomadic tribal caste who dwell in northwest India, mostly in the states of Gujarat, Punjab, & Rajasthan. The goal of the present research is “to assess oral health status of Rabari tribal community residing in gorwar region Rajasthan”. Materials and Method: The present cross sectional research was conducted at Gorwar region for period of 1 year from March 2022 to April 2023 among 450 subjects (110 children and 340 adults). The demographic data was recorded through a prevalidated self prepared questionnaire and oral health status was recorded using WHO oral health assessment form 2013 for adults and children. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 keeping level of significance at p<0.05. Results: Maximum children were in the age of 5 to 12 years (52.7%). Among adults highest number of subjects belong to age group of 45 to 65 years (35.8%). Male subjects (60%) were higher as compared to females and mostly were from lower socioeconomic status. The number of decayed teeth (4.74±1.6) were higher than missing & filled teeth both in children & adult. More than 50% of population had gingival bleeding and pocket formation leading to poor periodontal condition. The majority of the research population needed immediate treatment since they had poor hygiene practices & little understanding about oral health. Conclusion: Dental caries is very much common among this tribal community, also they had relatively high rates of gingival & periodontal diseases, which may be related to the underutilization of oral health services. Dental health education & improved accessibility to dental treatment are essential if the indigenous community is to have access to the greatest oral health facilities.

Keywords: assessment, dentition status, oral health, public health, rabari, tribes