Cultural Influences on Oral Health: Insight from Tribes in Jawadhu Hills of Tamil Nadu

Background: Even though oral health is highly valued in Tamil Nadu, tribal nomads have a difficult time getting access to quality dental treatment. Disparities in access to oral health care are made worse by a lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure, which includes a dearth of dental offices and qualified personnel in remote and nomadic locations. Despite their rich cultural heritage, nomadic communities often face marginalization and socioeconomic challenges, which can impact their access to healthcare services, including oral healthcare. Understanding the oral health beliefs, traditional practices and overall oral health status of these nomadic groups is therefore crucial for designing effective healthcare interventions tailored to their specific needs. Therefore the aim of the current study was to understand their cultural practices and their association with oral health status. Aim: To evaluate and oral health status and their knowledge, perceptions and practice of oral health among tribal gypsies in Jawadhu Hills of Tamilnadu. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nomadic populations residing in Tamil Nadu. Data collection employed a prevalidated questionnaire covering socio-demographic details and 10 questions on oral health perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and practices. Oral health status data were gathered using the WHO proforma 2013 and oral examinations (ADA Type III) were conducted by a single trained examiner with good intra-examiner reproducibility (kappa value of 0.8) after training and calibration. Version 26 of IBM SPSS (software statistical package for social sciences) was used to conduct the statistical analysis. There was use of descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and percentages. In order to identify significant differences at p<0.05, the Chi-Square test was used. Result: The consolidated data from the study reflects that the most commonly observed dental condition was dental erosion (19.41%), followed by dental trauma (7.89%).A highly significant association was found between enduring pain as a perceived weakness and avoiding dentists due to dignity, with a p-value <0.001. 82.38% of participants self-treated themselves, with 59.04% believing home remedies were better than treatments offered by dentists; the association between these two was highly significant (p<0.01). The oral health practices of the Indian tribal population are diverse and often influenced by traditional methods and beliefs. The tribes have poor periodontal health status due to their isolation, awareness and less accessibility to dental resources. There is a need to improve the level of education and knowledge related to oral health among the tribal population for overall improvement of oral health-related quality of life.