World Health Day 2017

World Health Day 2017 Editorial Comment by Dr. Bhuvandeep Gupt

Assessment of Oral Health Care Delivery System in Greater Noida Using Five A’s Model

BACKGROUND: Access to dental health services refers not only to utilization but also to the extent by which the utilization is judged as per the professional norms using five independent dimensions of accessibility, availability, accommodation, affordability and acceptability. AIM: The aim of the study is to assess the dental services utilization among population of Greater Noida using Five A’s model. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was conducted in Dental College in Greater Noida. This cross-sectional study was carried out on the 200 subjects using convenient sampling on the patients visiting dental OPD.A self-administered structured questionnaire in English and Hindi language was used. Data was entered in the Microsoft excel sheet and analysed using SPSS (version 20.0).RESULTS: Mean level of access to dental services in the study population was 60.3.Corresponding figures for affordability, availability, accessibility, accommodation and acceptability were 55.2 ± 12.1,57.1± 12.8,60.75 ± 14.7,61.75 ± 8.7,58.65± 11.4 respectively.CONCLUSION: According to the results of our study , the level of access to dental care services is not very good with family income, location and level of education being the determinants of this access

Determinants of preventive oral health behavior among senior dental students of Greater Noida, India

Introduction: Oral self-care practice is an effective preventive measure for maintaining good oral health. The health beliefs and attitudes of health professionals will not only affect their oral self-care habits, but will have a profound influence on their ability to motivate patients to learn and practice preventive oral health measures. Aim: The aim was to determine the preventive oral health behavior of senior dental students in relation to demography, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a dental institution by distributing pretested questionnaire to 102 final year dental students. The overall response rate was 94%. Data were computed and tabulated. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test using SPSS. Results: More than half of the respondents (56.25%) agreed that the frequency of sugar consumption has a greater role in producing caries. It was observed that 93.75% of students found preventive dentistry practice to be useful. Significant gender differences were observed in the use of recommended oral self-care, knowledge of using sealant as a caries preventive measure and fluoridation of drinking water as an effective way of preventing caries. Conclusion: There was an appreciably high level of good knowledge of preventive dental care among the dental students with a positive attitude towards preventive dentistry practice

Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis Among Adolescents in Schools of Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Introduction: Drinking water is one of the major sources of fluoride. India is one of those 24 countries where fluorosis is an important public health problem. When excess fluoride is ingested during the years of tooth calcification, it results in fluorosis. Aim: To assess the prevalence of dental fluorosis among adolescents in schools of Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 1318 students were examined for dental fluorosis through a stratified sampling technique from four blocks of Greater Noida. Dean’s Fluorosis Index was used to record dental fluorosis and information regarding the source of water till the age of 8 years, usage of fluoridated toothpaste before 2 years of age and other affected family members, which was obtained from their parents. Results: The overall prevalence of dental fluorosis in Greater Noida was found to be 21.0%. A very mild form of dental fluorosis was seen in 27.6% of the adolescents. The source of water consumed by the adolescent till the age of 8 years was found to be significantly associated with dental fluorosis (P = 0.001). Adolescents who consumed water from the hand pump were more likely to develop dental fluorosis. The reporting of an affected family member was seen to vary significantly with the relative score of dental fluorosis observed for that adolescent. The value of Community Fluorosis Index (CFI) was found to be 1.7. Conclusion: Dental fluorosis seemed to be a problem of medium public health significance in Greater Noida as suggested by the observed CFI, which was 1.7. The consumption of water from the handpump by majority of the population was associated with fluorosis

Sociodemographic profile and future expectations of newly entered students in a dental institute in Greater Noida, India

Introduction: Dentistry is one of the most reputed professions all over the world and is becoming a fastest growing career choice for students. Thus, it is necessary to know reasons for choosing dentistry as a career and their future expectations. Aim: The aim was to obtain information about sociodemographic profile, influencing and motivating factors for a career choice and to know future expectations of 1 st year students enrolled in a private dental institute in India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing pretested structured questionnaire to 100 1 st year students enrolled in the Institute. The overall response rate was 93%. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0 and Chi-square test was applied. Results: Parents were most influencing factors for both male and female students to choose dentistry and students rated reputation and lifestyle (96.7%) as most motivating factor. About 80% of students wanted to pursue specialization after B.D.S where maximum preference was given to oral surgery (29%), endodontics (12%), and orthodontics (9%). Statistically significant association was found between gender and interest to do specialization in dentistry (P = 0.004). Conclusion: Dentistry upholds a reputable position among the students, and most students′ want to pursue specialization after completion, of course; however, it′s disheartening that very few students are inclined toward nonclinical branches