title: Prevalence of Deleterious Oral Habits and Oral Mucosal Lesions among Fishermen Population of Mahe, South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fishing is an occupation associated with uneven diet, strain, drunkenness, tobacco use, and deleterious habits. The physical state of laborers on a large scale will also be influenced by conditions at their work site. Oral mucosal lesions can occur as a result of infections, local shock or infuriation, systemic diseases, and uncontrolled usage of tobacco, betel quid, and alcohol. The aim of the present study is to assess the prevalence of deleterious oral habits and oral mucosal lesions among fishermen population of Mahe, South India.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consists of 362 fishermen aged between 15 and 54. The questionnaire consisted of questions on personal data, and information related to the subjects' oral habits were collected by the interview. The World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment Form was designed for the assessment of oral mucosal lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 362 fishermen, 266 (73.48%) were males and 96 (26.52%) were females. The overall prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and gutka chewing was found to be 24.3, 48.85, and 32.4% respectively. Smokeless tobacco (32.4%) was the most prevalent habit followed by smoking tobacco (24.3%). The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was 14.9%. There is a statistically significant association between age groups and habits considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings of the present study suggest that oral health condition of the fisherfolk community was relatively poor, with high habit prevalence and oral mucosal lesions. This epi-demiological study has provided baseline data to plan further research in this area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low socioeconomic status, strenuous working hours, inadequate diet and nutrition intake, stress, and use of tobacco and alcohol act as contributing factors for ill health and oral diseases. It is a challenging population to the clinician to identify and treat them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, St. Gregorios Dental College, Ernakulam, Kerala, India, Phone: +919037537001, e-mail: anzilksali@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ksa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anzil
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rajas Dental College and Hospital, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Rajas Dental College and Hospital Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sai
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, St. Gregorios Dental College, Ernakulam, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiran
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kevin
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Royal Dental College, Palakkad Kerala, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sunith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D005398:Fisheries; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000150:complications
keywords: Alcohol consumption; Fishermen; Oral mucosal lesions Tobacco.