Prosthetic status and prosthetic needs amongst geriatric fishermen population of Kutch coast, Gujarat, India.

BACKGROUND: Literature among fishermen of India is scanty. The external factors like diet, quality of dental hygiene and environmental factors have an effect on oral health. Moreover elderly age group offer very little importance towards their oral health. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prosthetic status and prosthetic treatment needs among the geriatric fishermen population of Kutch coast, Gujarat, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 1200 elderly people (above 60 years) of Kutch coast, Gujarat, India. They were interviewed and examined using a proforma designed with the help of WHO Oral Health Survey 1997. Chi square test was used for comparisons. Confidence level and p-value were set at 95% and 5% respectively. RESULTS: Out of 1200 elderly people, 836 were males and 364 were females. Considering the prosthetic status, majority (76.7%) had no prosthesis followed by full removable dentures (12.3%). An insight into the prosthetic needs showed that majority (27.3%) had a need for multiunit prosthesis. CONCLUSION: In this study, it was seen that overall prosthetic status was low and prosthetic need was high. Therefore new avenues have to be discovered to make the prosthetic treatment readily available to the elderly.