Oral Health Status Among 35–44 Year Old Adults Attending the Outreach Programs in Visakhapatnam – A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Oral diseases significantly impact quality of life worldwide and remain a major public health challenge in India, where adult oral health, particularly among outreach populations, is under-assessed. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the oral health status of adults aged 35–44 years attending dental outreach programs in Visakhapatnam. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted, enrolling 500 adults aged 35–44 years attending 40 dental outreach camps from June to November 2022. Participants who provided informed consent and had no significant systemic illnesses were included through convenience sampling. Oral health assessments followed the World Health Organization (2013) criteria by a calibrated examiner (inter- and intraexaminer Kappa: 0.84, 0.81). Data were analyzed using SPSS v25 with descriptive statistics. Missing data were minimal and addressed by complete case analysis. Ethical approval was given by the Institutional Review Board. Results: Among participants, 64.4% were male and 95.4% reported using a toothbrush and toothpaste. The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth index was 4.06 ± 3.23 (95% confidence interval: 3.75–4.37). Gingival bleeding was present in 88.4%, with 41.4% showing shallow periodontal pockets (4–5 mm). Most (87.6%) required prompt dental treatment, and 5% needed immediate care due to pain or infection. Conclusion: Oral health among adults in Visakhapatnam outreach programs is poor. Enhanced oral health education and integration with primary health care are necessary. Results should be interpreted considering the limitations of convenience sampling and the outreach setting, which may affect generalizability.