Association between dental health status and changing dietary and lifestyle patterns among selected population of Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, India)

Background: The change in food consumption patterns with greater reliance on junk and processed foods is more often related to lifestyle disorders nowadays. Dental health status is a clear indicator of lifestyle choices as well as major changes in the lifestyle. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the dental health status of individuals of Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, India) on the basis of their primary dental check-up and the interview-based data. Materials and Methods: A total of 301 individuals (152 males and 149 females) were examined for dental caries, dental plaque, and periodontal diseases among them followed by an interview session inquiring about their dietary intake and lifestyle patterns. The frequency distribution for each state was calculated for each tooth type, and statistical analyses were done. Results: The number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth of each subject resulted in the calculation of average decayed-missing-filled teeth index as 1.5182. The calculated significant caries index and plaque index were found as 3.06 and 1.2872, respectively. The maxillary teeth (59.2% and 43.62% in males and females, respectively) were more affected than the mandibular teeth (37.5% and 47.5% in males and females, respectively). The survey showed that the most affected teeth by caries were first premolars and first molars (22.36% of males and 30.87% of females showed caries in their first premolars; 25% of males and 15.43% of females showed caries in their first molars). Conclusion: The overall dental health status revealed that females had more deteriorated dental health conditions than males, though the difference in the frequencies was not statistically significant. Dietary survey has revealed that their diet includes a high amount of sugar content along with carbonated drinks and junk food.