Oral Health Care Delivery Systems & Oral Health Care Needs: a Situation Analysis

A study was undertaken to analyze the discrepancy in the oral health care needs and the existing oral health care delivery systems. More than 60% of population had dental caries experience with a mean DMFT as high as 6.06; Prevalence of periodontal diseases is also as high as 92%; 20% of the population suffer from malocclusions of which about 4% have moderate to severe type; dental fluorosis is highly prevalent (42%) but only at mild to moderate level. Though 80% population lives in rural areas, hardly any dental practitioner work in these areas, all the available dentists concentrated in the urban areas. The dental health care needs are very high both in rural and urban areas in spite of skeletal facilities available in urban areas. Hence professional and administrative attention is required both in urban and rural areas. Chitradurga district can be used as a model district to find the effectiveness of these programs in bringing down the oral diseases and maintenance of the oral health of the people on a long term basis. This book, therefore, provides an insight of oral health survey and oral health status and formulating strategies to meet those needs for developing countries.