Epidemiologic assessment of dental health in the military exposed to toxic chemicals

Relevance. Destruction of toxic chemicals is impregnated with hazardous working conditions. In this regard, health monitoring in such workers is subject to more stringent requirements. Occupation-related difficulties in dental care availability cause faster dental health deterioration in the military. This adds relevance to finding and developing modern, rational and effective therapy and prevention measures tailored to specific working conditions the sites of toxic waste destruction.

The objective is to evaluate the prevalence and structure of dental diseases and oral cavity disorders in the military exposed to toxic chemicals.

Methods. A total of 178 male and female contracted military aged 27-50 years were examined within general medical examination required for admission to work with toxic chemicals. Standard dental methods were used during the examination: interview, visual, physical, and instrumental examinations. Examination data were fed into individual military medical records (form No. 2), as well as into earlier record forms.

Results and discussion. Examined patients showed high prevalence of dental diseases (99.4 %), in particular, diseases of dental hard tissues and complicated dental caries. No less than half of the examined (54.5 %) required orthopedic dental treatment. More than 80 % of the examined revealed poor oral hygiene.

Conclusion. Considering the high demand (90 %) for sanitation among the military, causing the 25% level of complicated f caries, with average tooth crown destruction score of 0.9 and absence of a staff dentist due to the small size of military units, it is deemed reasonable to involve specialists based on a prior agreed schedule and ensure compliance with developed methods and recommendations. 

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