Gudsoorkar Priyanka, Nolan Rachael, Kafle Sweta, Dubey Aayush
College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
Front Oral Health. 2024 Oct 1;5:1435555. doi: 10.3389/froh.2024.1435555. eCollection 2024.
Oral health substantially impacts individuals' quality of life, making it an important target for global health interventions. This research describes oral health status, practices, and beliefs within the Rorya district of Tanzania to understand barriers to care.
To quantify physical oral health status, intraoral examinations were conducted on adults, noting the Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Comprehensive Periodontal Inflammatory Burden Index (CPBI). Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand oral hygiene behaviors and beliefs. Data was analyzed via two-sample -tests, Pearson's statistics, and NVIVO.
A purposive sample ( = 139) of participants self-reported to reside in either Burere ( = 32), Nyambogo ( = 52), or Roche ( = 55) were assessed. A two-sample -test revealed females ( = 67; x¯ = 7.1; SD = 5.4; < 0.05) have a significantly higher DMFT score than males ( = 72; x¯ = 3.7; SD = 3.9). Moreover, the OHRQoL score of females ( = 67; x¯ = 12.10; SD = 14; < 0.05) were significantly higher than males ( = 72; x¯ = 10.16; SD = 3). In contrast, males have significantly higher CPBI scores (x¯ = 3.8; SD = 1.5; =<0.05) than females (x¯ = 3.0; SD = 1.3). Additionally, older age groups presented higher GI and PISA scores, while the younger group (20-30 years) displayed the highest mean DMFT score. The themes that emerged from semi-structured interviews were "pearls of laughter guarded by wisdom teeth," "whispered tales of oral tides and communal echoes," and "tales of the tooth fairy."
In this community, proper oral health maintenance techniques are vital yet frequently disregarded, mainly due to disparities in access to resources, reflected in oral health scores. Addressing this is a crucial intervention, presenting an opportunity to uplift overall well-being. Moreover, gender and age disparities in oral health highlight the urgent need for tailored interventions.
口腔健康对个人生活质量有重大影响，使其成为全球健康干预的重要目标。本研究描述了坦桑尼亚罗里亚地区的口腔健康状况、行为和观念，以了解护理障碍。
为了量化口腔健康的身体状况，对成年人进行了口腔内检查，记录龋齿、缺失牙和填充牙（DMFT）以及综合牙周炎症负担指数（CPBI）。进行了口腔健康相关生活质量（OHRQoL）和半结构化访谈，以了解口腔卫生行为和观念。通过双样本t检验、皮尔逊统计和NVIVO对数据进行分析。
对一个有目的抽样的139名参与者进行了评估，他们自我报告居住在布雷雷（32人）、尼亚姆博戈（52人）或罗切（55人）。双样本t检验显示，女性（67人；x¯ = 7.1；标准差 = 5.4；p < 0.05）的DMFT得分显著高于男性（72人；x¯ = 3.7；标准差 = 3.9）。此外，女性（67人；x¯ = 12.10；标准差 = 14；p < 0.05）的OHRQoL得分显著高于男性（72人；x¯ = 10.16；标准差 = 3）。相比之下，男性的CPBI得分（x¯ = 3.8；标准差 = 1.5；p <= 0.05）显著高于女性（x¯ = 3.0；标准差 = 1.3）。此外，年龄较大的群体呈现出较高的牙龈指数（GI）和牙周病活动度评分（PISA），而较年轻的群体（20 - 30岁）的平均DMFT得分最高。半结构化访谈中出现的主题是“智齿守护的欢笑珍珠”、“口腔潮汐和社区回声的低语故事”以及“牙仙子的故事”。
在这个社区，正确的口腔健康维护技术至关重要，但经常被忽视，主要是由于资源获取方面的差异，这在口腔健康评分中有所体现。解决这一问题是一项关键干预措施，为提升整体幸福感提供了机会。此外，口腔健康方面的性别和年龄差异凸显了针对性干预措施的迫切需求。
