Periodontal Condition, Self Perception and Oral Impacts in Brazilian Workers

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association among periodontal status, tooth loss, and self-perception of oral health impacts on workers of two metallurgical industries of São Paulo State, Brazil.
Methods: The sample consisted of 134 employees, both genders, with a mean age of 33.20 ± 9.7 years. Examinations were performed by two examiners (kappa> 0.81) using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) and number of missing teeth. A questionnaire was applied due to evaluate the self-perception and impact on oral health. Univariate analysis was performed by Odds ratio (95% CI) and Chi-Square test (p <0.05).
Results: It was observed the presence of bleeding in 25.37%, calculus in 75.37%, 17.90% of shallow pockets, 1.50% of deep pockets, attachment loss in 26.12% and 1.75 ± 2.53 missing teeth. Approximately 45.00% reported dissatisfaction with their oral condition, difficulty on eating (52.00%) or speaking (13.00%) and 82.00% indicated some need for dental care. There were association between difficulty on eating with bleeding (OR 0.33; X2 7.22, p 0.007) and tooth loss (OR 1.92; X2 73.54, p 0.048), and difficulty on speaking with the presence of periodontal pockets (OR 3.15; X2 7.19, p 0.007).
Conclusions: Although workers have shown low prevalence of pockets, periodontal attachment loss and tooth loss, it highlights the need for preventive activities aimed at improving the oral hygiene, thus reducing the impact of the oral health on daily activities, which may contribute to best performance in their work environment.