Content area
Abstract
People in rural areas neglect oral health as they lack awareness on dental diseases and also due to inadequate availability of dental services. The prevalence of illiteracy is also a reason which can be attributed to poor oral health. This epidemiological study is undertaken to assess the oral health status of one such population in Mustabad - A rural area in Andhra Pradesh. A cross-sectional study based on randomized sampling method was carried out using the WHO assessment form (1997) on a population of 470. The data were subjected to statistical analysis. The prevalence of dental caries according to age groups was highest in the age group of 34-44 years (83.50). There was a significant difference in the prevalence of dental caries according to gender, with females having higher caries prevalence (53.19%) than males (46.81%). The increasing prevalence is an impending problem which needs immediate intervention if not would have a serious negative impact on the future oral health.