a day ago
One in every 15 kids aged 12 found using tobacco in MP, shows survey
Bhopal: In a first-of-its-kind state-level oral health survey in India, researchers from AIIMS-Bhopal have uncovered a startling statistic: about 1 in every 15 children in urban areas, aged 12 years in Madhya Pradesh use tobacco.
The finding is part of the "Oral Health Survey in Rural and Urban Population from Central India," conducted across 41 districts and involving over 48,000 participants.
The study, led by Dr Abhinav Singh (AIIMS-Bhopal), Dr Bharathi M Purohit (AIIMS-New Delhi), and Dr Abhishek Purohit (PGIMER Chandigarh), has been published in the prestigious World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Journal of Public Health.
It marks the first comprehensive oral health mapping by any Indian state since the national survey of 2002.
Survey found urban 12-year-olds are more likely to consume tobacco than their rural counterparts. 6.8% of 12-year-olds in urban districts reported tobacco use, which included mostly smokeless, like use of gutka.
As for adults, the survey found that in some districts, up to 100% of people aged 60 and above need dentures or other dental prosthetics, with most areas showing at least 85% in need of them, said Dr Singh.
Professor and nodal officer, Regional Training Centre for Oral Health Promotion & Dental Public Health at AIIMS-Bhopal Dr Singh said, "For the first time in India, we've built a state-level Oral Health Data Bank for Madhya Pradesh, modeled on WHO standards, offering district-wise insights into disease burden, infrastructure, and public services—an essential tool for evidence-based policy and planning,"
131 dental surgeons were trained for the survey in a six-month exercise. To ensure transparency, we used a GPS-enabled mobile app to track survey examiners in real time, and our custom data entry software—with built-in validation codes—helped us maintain exceptional accuracy throughout the study, he added on the subject.
The last nationwide oral health survey in India was conducted in 2002, then only three MP districts were included with sample size of about 2500.
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