Magzoub A, Tawig N, Satti A, Gobara B (2016) Periodontal health status and periodontal treatment needs of prisoners in two jails in Khartoum State. Int J Dentistry Oral Sci. 03(4), 233-238. 233 OPEN ACCESS http://scidoc.org/IJDOS.php Periodontal Health Status And Periodontal Treatment Needs Of Prisoners In Two Jails In Khartoum State Research Article Magzoub A 1 , Tawig N 2* , Satti A 3 , Gobara B 4 1 Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum, Sudan. 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum, Sudan. 3 Master Degree in Restorative Dentistry, Federal Ministry of Health. 4 Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University Of Khartoum, Sudan. International Journal of Dentistry and Oral Science (IJDOS) ISSN: 2377-8075 *Corresponding Author: Dr. Nada Tawig Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum, Sudan Tel: +249912347374 Email: nadatawig@yahoo.com Received: March 01, 2016 Accepted: March 29, 2016 Published: April 06, 2016 Citation: Magzoub A, Tawig N, Satti A, Gobara B (2016) Periodontal health status and periodontal treatment needs of prisoners in two jails in Khartoum State. Int J Dentistry Oral Sci. 03(4), 233-238. Copyright: Nada Tawig © 2016. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: Prisoner is a person who is deprived of his/her freedom; even though they are deprived of their freedom they are not deprived of their right to maintain good general and oral health. Limited studies have been conducted among prisoners. Therefore the present study aimed to assess the periodontal health status and treatment needs of prisoners in two jails in Khartoum state. Methodology: A total of 389 prisoners were selected from two different prisons in Khartoum State. A pro-forma was used to obtain data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, duration of stay in prison, and oral hygiene habits. The W.H.O. Oral Health Assessment Form (1997) was used to assess the oral health status of the study subjects. Results: 237 of prisoners were males and 152 were females in the age group of 17-65 years. 35.9% of prisoners were im- prisoned for less than 6 months. The majority of the prisoners were illiterate (37.3%). The highest number of individuals (52.7%) was classiied as CPITN of which implies that they need oral hygiene instruction, 33.7% score CPTN of 2, while only 2.6% of the prisoners scored a CPITN of 4 and they need scaling and surgical periodontal treatment. Conclusion: There is an observant need of oral health care programmes as the standard of periodontal health observed among prisoners is low, and ultimately the respondents will be returning to the community. Keywords: Prisoners; CPITN; PI and GI. Introduction Oral health is central to general health and is one of the valu- able assets not only for an individual but also for the social sys- tem. Despite great attainments in the oral health of populations worldwide, problems still remain in many communities around the world, particularly among the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups [1]. Prisoners constitute one of the disadvantaged group as these peo- ple are solitary conined for long duration and hence are socially and economically deprived from the community [2]. The prisoner’s area represents a psychologically, socially, morally and economically affected group and this drives them to neglect their general as well as oral health. Prisoners are vulnerable to a wide range of health problems, most commonly alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, chronic diseases, mental illness, psychosocial and psychiatric problems. Moreover, prisoners are at a higher risk of violence among themselves, which results in the development of high chronic stress levels, which may deteriorate the physical and mental health [3]. Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption, particularly spirits, and tobacco use increases the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease and are by far the greatest risk fac- tors for oral cancer [4]. Periodontal diseases are the most common human dental diseases affecting the population all over the world. As the prevalence and