Illness perception in patients with dental caries: A co-relational study in Odisha

Illness behaviour refers to any actions or reactions of an individual who feels unwell for defining their state of health and obtaining physical or emotional relief from perceived or actual illness. The present study was conducted to assess illness perception of patients having dental caries using Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) in Odisha.

A descriptive co-relational study was conducted among 250 patients with self-reported dental caries in at least one tooth and more than 18 years of age. Data was collected using a cross-culturallyvalidated IPQ-R tool. This was followed by assessment for dental caries using Caries Severity Index. Spearman's correlation and multivariable analysis were conducted.

Toothache, visible hole, tooth sensitivity, pain during taking hot and cold food were perceived to be associated with dental caries. Nearly half of the patients had a caries severity score of 5 (pulpitis) or more. Majority (83 %) of participants reported presence of a "visible hole" when they had dental caries. Caries severity was positively correlated with timeline acute/chronic, timeline cyclical and consequence. Significant correlations were noted between IPQ-R components as well.

Dental caries was mostly considered to be acute in nature. The study subjects perceived dental caries to have serious consequence, emotionally disturbing symptoms, which they could control by seeking treatment. Further studies need to be conductedwith a larger sample size.