Oral health status and access to dental care in tribal school children , aged 6-12 years in Salem district- a mixed method approach

Oral health status and access to dental care in tribal school children aged 6-12 years in Salem district - A mixed method approach

The purpose of this mixed-method study is to evaluate the oral health status, treatment requirements, and obstacles to dental care of 6–12-year-old tribal children. Both the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) have approved the study. There are two stages to the research. Tribal children will undergo oral screening in Phase I (quantitative) following informed parental consent. Standardized indices, such as the DMFT Index, PUFA Index, and ICDAS I scores, will be used to evaluate the state of oral health. To ascertain the frequency and seriousness of oral health problems in this population, the gathered data will subsequently be statistically analyzed.

A more thorough investigation of the obstacles to dental care is part of Phase II (qualitative). Making use of a stratified random sampling technique, Phase I participants will be chosen for additional evaluation. Parents of these children will be interviewed in-person using a semi-structured questionnaire. A thematic framework will be used to analyze the collected qualitative data in order to find recurring themes and insights regarding the obstacles people face when trying to access dental care.

The study’s findings will primarily address two issues: the frequency of oral health issues in children from tribal communities and the underlying obstacles to receiving essential dental care in these areas.