Tooth loss and its risk factors among the young adults in the Kamrup (Metro) district of Assam: An epidemiological study

Background: Epidemiological studies on tooth loss, particularly in young adults (20-40 years), are very sparse, and it was probably not done in Assam and the whole of the northeast region of India. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the role of the oral health determinants and analyze their potential risk on tooth mortality among the young adults of the rural and urban areas of Kamrup (Metro) district of Assam. Materials and Methodology: A total of 1540 young adults (20-40 years), 770 each from the urban and rural areas of the Kamrup (Metro) district, were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Oral health assessment was done by asking individual questionnaires and intraoral examinations. Collected data were statistically analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson's Chi-square test at 0.05 significance level. Results: Overall 30.6% of the young adults demonstrated one or more tooth loss with no significant difference between rural (29.70%) and urban areas (31.40%). Tooth decay is the prime cause of tooth loss (23.7%), followed by tooth mobility (4.5%) and trauma (0.9%). The potential risk of tooth loss can significantly be influenced by education, occupation, consumption of sweet food, water sources, oral hygiene practices, smoking and chewing of different types of smokeless tobacco, paan-betel nuts, paan-masalas, and consumption of alcohol (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Tooth loss is a major oral health problem affecting >30% of the young adults. The potential risk of tooth loss due to major oral diseases can be influenced by education, occupation, sweet food, water sources, oral hygiene practices, bad oral habits, and alcohol consumption.