Oral Health behind the Bars: Oral Health Seeking Behavior Among Jail Prisoners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

OBJECTIVES: To determine the oral health care-seeking behavior and its associated factors among prison inmates

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Central Prisoner Jail, Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan from November 2021 to April 2022. A consecutive sampling technique was used from both convicted and under-trial prisoners by using a pre-tested WHO Basic Oral Health Survey 2013 tool. Our outcome variable was “Visit to a dentist in the last 12 months (Never/Once or more than once). Chi square test was used for association with all other explanatory variables while multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for potential confounders.

RESULTS: A total of 225 participants were recruited to the study with a mean (SD) age of 32.9 (11.4). More than two-thirds 200(88.9%)of the participants were males. One third of the sample never visit to the dentist75(33.3). The frequency of dental visits was higher in males as compared to females, n=132 (66.0%,p-value =0.54). Participants who completed college/university education and never visited the dentist in the last 12 months constituted a smaller proportion (17.6%) compared to those who visited the dentist once or more then once n=28(82.4%,p-value = 0.003).Individuals who were using toothbrush were most frequently visiting to the dentist n=130(72.6%=p value=0.001) as compare to never visitor. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that Participants who experienced teeth pain or discomfort having 0.42 times lower odds of visiting the dentist compared to those who did not experience any pain or discomfort [AOR 0.42 (95% CI 0.17-0.80),p= 0.04].Similarly, Participants who do not use any denture have 4.06 times higher odds[AOR 4.06(95% CI 1.76-9.36),p= 0.001] of visiting the dentist compared to those who use a denture.

CONCLUSIONS: Prisoners who were experiencing teeth pain or discomfort and not using dentures were the strong predicators with lower dental visit frequency to seek oral health care behavior by jail prisoners