Enhancing oral health assessment: leveraging WHO questionnaire for adults

• Published in: International dental journal 2024-10, Vol.74, p.S97-S97
• Main Authors: Fatima, Jia, Khokhar, Umar Ali Bilal, Abideen, Malik Zain Ul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0020-6539
• DOI: 10.1016/j.identj.2024.07.868

To improve oral health assessment in Multan, Pakistan via WHO oral health assessment questionnaire (OHQ) to drive targeted intervention strategies and investigate oral health status and behaviors for enhanced outcomes. A descriptive cross-sectional study on 394 individuals at Bakhtawar Amin Dental College and Hospital, Multan, targeted adults aged 18 years and above. Ethical standards were maintained with informed consent and study's objectives communicated. Nonprobability consecutive sampling was employed for participant recruitment. Data collection involved the WHO's OHQ, comprising 16 main items that explore an individual's oral health, risk and protective factors, and oral health services utilization. This questionnaire was administered manually to patients and online to dental practitioners. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0, employing the Chi-square test for group comparisons. The average age of the patients was 26.46 ± 7.8, with nearly half of them (48.7%) experiencing oral pain or discomfort within the past year. There was a predominance of females, and most participants rated their teeth and gums as "good." Additionally, 49.1% reported brushing their teeth twice or more daily, and the majority (75.7%) used fluoridated toothpaste. About 34.1% visited the dentist due to oral pain or discomfort, and half of them consumed sweets and sugary drinks daily. Gender correlated significantly with self-reported number of teeth as well as state of teeth (p