Oral Health Status of Juvenile Inmates in A Detention Center in Turkey

Purpose: There are very few studies about the oral health status of juvenile inmates. This study aimed to determine past dental attendance, medicament usage, and smoking habits, besides oro-dental status, including caries prevalence and periodontal health status of juvenile inmates in detention centers. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 232 juvenile male inmates (mean-age:16.65±0.91) in a detention center in Istanbul-Turkey. After taking general demographic information, the subjects were clinically examined according to WHO criteria. In addition, the Plaque Index (PI) and Gingival Index (GI) were recorded at Ramfjord teeth to evaluate periodontal status. All data were statistically analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 programme, Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman's rho correlation coefficient, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and One-way ANOVA test. Results: Average length of stay was 6.54±8.38 months. 44.4% of inmates have never visited a dentist. The mean DMFT, PI, and GI scores of the subjects were 6.78±4.07, 1.18±0.55, and 1.13±0.47, respectively. In addition, 80.2% of inmates smoked before being taken to the detention center. Conclusion: This study indicated that the oral health of detained inmates was poor. Prison health services should not be isolated but integrated into national and regional health systems.