Use of Oral Health Index (OHX) in a community screening campaign

Introduction: A free public dental screening was conducted in a three day oral health campaign in November 2011. For the collection of data on oral health status of the public attending free screening campaign with limited facilities and time, we require a composite index to measure the treatment need and to briefly advice the patients on their oral health status. The aim of the study is to assess the oral health status of the individual attending the screening campaign using Oral Health Index. Materials and Methods: Screening of patients was done by dental surgeons using disposable mouth mirror and probes with the patient seated in a portable dental chair. Each screening session lasted for an average of five to ten minutes. A comprehensive Oral Health Index (OHX) for measuring all diseases in oral cavity was used to summarize oral health status of a person. A question on smoking was also included along with OHX index and a brief intervention of smoking cessation was given to those patients who smoke and willing to quit. Results: A total of 415 patients of all age groups were screened (Males 52.29%; Females 47.71%). In all the age groups dental appearance (34.0%) is considered to be major concern with respect to pain and chewing ability. A very small number of them had oral mucosal lesions (0.24%) and a 25.04% of them had occlusal problems that require treatment. About 54.46% of them have coronal caries with 7.23% having caries in more than five teeth. Periodontal treatment need is the highest with 63.61% requiring some form of periodontal treatment. 26.75% need some form of prosthodontic treatment. Conclusion: Use of OHX in measuring oral health status has provided overall treatment needs of patients with ease of measuring and identifying the treatment need. Keywords: OHX, oral health screening