Assessment of Oral Health Status, Care Seeking Behaviours, and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Indian Adults Using the World Dental Federation's Digital Application.

Abstract

Context: A survey was conducted in line with the World Dental Federation's (FDI) vision for comprehensive, evidence-based oral healthcare by 2030. The study aims to collect standardised national data on the population's oral health needs, care-seeking behaviours, and oral health-related quality of life.

Materials and methods: This analytical cross-sectional survey included dentists from urban and rural India and the patients visiting their facilities. The data were collected using the digital application developed by the FDI as a part of the Oral Health Observatory (OHO) project between December 2018 and April 2020 among patients seeking care at private oral healthcare practices. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to analyse the study data using SPSS software.

Results: Data of 1049 patients (61.01% males, 38.98% females, mean age 38.6 ± 12.1 years) were collected using the OHO app on their oral health-seeking behaviour and habits. Over 80% of the patients had periodontal disease. About 51.5% visited a dentist in the past year, with common barriers being the belief that there was nothing wrong with their teeth and the time constraints. High rates of daily sugar consumption (67%) and tobacco use (35%) were noted. Most dentists focused on curative over preventive care.

Conclusions: This survey provides essential data on India's oral health and forms an important first step in the quest of achieving universal health coverage for oral health by facilitating advocacy and aligning with FDI Vision 2030.