Prevalence of oral and dental diseases in Iranian military divers

Barometric pressure changes at the depths of the sea may lead to barodontalgia, barosinusitis and odontocrexis in divers. Furthermore, in stressful occupations such as diving, it is very important to consider some of the oral lesions including aphthae which can recur or be exacerbated by stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence rate of these diseases in IRI divers. In a case-control study, 30 IRI divers (case) and 30 IRI snipers (control) were selected. A questionnaire was prepared and approved under the supervision of three dental specialists. After clinical and paraclinical examinations, the questionnaire for each individual was carefully completed by an educated and calibrated dentist. There was a significant increase among divers in the prevalence of oral aphthae lesions, temporomandibular joint disorders, stress during mission, history of systemic diseases, and drug consumption (p<0.05); however, there is no significant statistical difference between two groups in terms of the prevalence of interdental caries, calculus, recurrent caries and history of trauma to the head and neck. The results of our study indicated that the rate of dentofacial problems is high in IRI divers, and with respect to the importance of these occupations, it is important to seek for a solution to this problem with careful planning.