Non Communicable Diseases And Oral Health: Introspection

Background: To find an association between presence of Chronic disease with Oral Health. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in the Dental OPD of LCMD Karachi in 2014. Three hundred participants were enrolled in this study through consecutive sample technique. Data was collected using the self administered questionnaire along with the assessment of oral health examination, which was carried out by the Researcher and data was analyzed on SPSS version 20. Results: It was observed that 59% (n=176) suffered from chronic diseases and when oral examination was conducted, it was revealed that 39% (n=117) had mobile teeth (P value= 0.001), 39.3% (n=118) had missing teeth P value=(0.001) , 60.8% (n=115) had bleeding gums, 60.2% (n=112) had halitosis, 60.2% (n=71) had dry mouth, 61.3% (n=84) had oral ulcers,60.6% (n=117) had complain of food deposition and 60% (n=90) had tooth spacing due to periodontal diseases. Conclusion: It was concluded from this study that majority of participants with chronic diseases had poor oral health which needs immediate attention by the medical practitioners during the treatment of chronic diseases and as well as dentists should counsel the patients for maintenance of oral health. It still remains a chicken egg dilemma regarding the temporal sequence of events as many oral pathogens share a common factor with NCDs. Key Words: Association Non communicable Diseases, Oral Health