Tooth morbidity and its impact on oral related quality of life in elderly tribal population-The Irula experience.

Introduction: Oral diseases are a major global health challenge, posing health and economic burdens that have profound impacts on the quality of life, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations such as tribal communities. Among scheduled tribes in India, the Irula community belongs to one of the tribes most vulnerable by poor access to health care and education. The elders in the population have increased incidence and prevalence rates of tooth morbidities-an increased incidence of caries, non-carious lesions, and periodontitis-related conditions that affect oral health related quality of life (OHQOL) dimensions.

Objectives: This study aims to assess tooth morbidity and tooth loss among older Irula community members, identify risk factors, and evaluate how oral and physical comorbidities have been associated with OHRQoL.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on elderly persons aged 60 years and above in Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India. A multi-stage random sampling technique was employed in the study. Data were collected by semi-structured questionnaires covering demographics, medical history, oral health practices, and quality of life by clinical dental examination. The tools used included the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) the Smith and Knight Tooth wear index for non-carious lesions, and the Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Needs (CPITN) index for periodontal disease Furthermore, quality of life assessment was carried out utilizing the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Subsequently, Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the predictors of OHRQoL.

Results: The prevalence of carious lesions was 38.5%, non-carious lesions 70%, periodontitis 70.8%, and tooth loss 53.6%. Only 2.3% of participants had restorative dental treatments. Multivariate analysis reveals that illiteracy (AOR = 0.163, p = 0.003), arthritis (AOR = 0.340, p = 0.001), carious lesions (AOR = 1.402, p = 0.031), periodontal disease (AOR = 1.663, p = 0.002), and tooth loss (AOR = 2.744, p = 0.001) affected OHRQoL significantly.

Conclusion: The results regarding the elderly community of Irula point towards the severe oral health disparities observed among them; thus, this raises an urgent need to develop a public health intervention for this eminent existing fact. Removing education and socioeconomic barriers, improving access to dental health care, and advocating culturally appropriate preventive programs could increase OHRQoL. Longitudinal study and policy-driven approaches should be carried out in future studies for sustainable health equity of the tribal population.