Download Health Seeking and Oral Health behaviour of the Tribes of Rajasthan

Health Seeking and Oral Health behaviour of the Tribes of Rajasthan: A Review
ABSTRACT
The cultural patterns and the life style of the tribes vary a lot, and so does their health seeking
behavior. The study of health, disease and treatment vary according to the culture of a particular
area. Moreover, the culture of tribal area is guided by traditionally laid down customs and each
member of the culture is ideally expected to conform to it. In every culture there is repository of
values and belief systems built around important life experiences i.e. birth, disease and death.
Tribes constituted separate socio-cultural groups having distinct customs, traditions and living
largely in agricultural and pre-agricultural level of technology.
Oral Health remains to be the ignored part. The tribal population is relying upon the traditional
system of medicine to relieve toothache and other oral problems. The present review provides
with the insight of the indigenous oral health practices of the tribes.
Keywords: Tribes, Oral Health, Traditional Medicine.
INTRODUCTION
Mankind is proceeding towards greater and greater homogeneity racially, culturally and
linguistically. Oldest cultures are dying or being exterminated. In such a broad category comes a
great segment of primitive, tribal, indigenous, native people. Some major characteristics of these
groups have been simple pre-machine economy, unsophisticated rituals and social customs, lack
of a script for their speech which itself is not developed, small local community organization and
homogeneity.1,2
A tribe is a collection of families bearing a common name, speaking a common dialect,
occupying a common territory and is not usually endogamous, though originally it might have
been so.3
TRIBES IN INDIA: CLASSIFICATION
Tribes in India can be classified on the basis of their 4:
a) Territorial/Geographical distribution
b) Linguistic affiliation
c) Physical and Racial characteristics
d) Occupation or Economy
e) Cultural contact
f) Religious beliefs
Territorial/Geographical Distribution
Indian tribes are classified into 3 zones
 The north and north-eastern zone
 The central or the middle zone
 The southern zone
The inhabitants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are not included in the above classification, but
they may be said to constitute a fourth zone. The main tribes living in this area are the Jarawa,
Onge, Andanmanese and Nicobari.3
Linguistic Classification
Tribal people of India may be classified into 3 speech families:
a. Dravidian
b. Austric
c. Tibeto-chinese
Racial Classification
Classification by Sir Herbert Risely (1915):
a. Turko- Iranian
b. Indo-Aryan
c. Scytho-Dravidian
d. Aryo-Dravidian
e. Mongolo-Dravidian
f. Mongoloid
g. Dravidian
These seven types may be reduced to 3 basic types:
a. Dravidian
b. Mongolian
c. Indo-Aryan
Economic Classification (Thurnwald)
I.
Homogenous communities of men as hunters and trappers, women as collectors- Kadar,
Chenchu, Kharia and Korwa are some of the Indian tribes falling in this category.
II.
Homogenous communities of hunters, trappers and agriculturists- the Kamar, Baiga and
Birhor are examples of this group.
III.
Graded society of hunters, trappers, agriculturists and artisans- most of the tribes fall
under this category. Eg. The Chero, Agariya
IV.
The herdsmen- Toda and Bhils fall under this category
V.
Ethnically stratified cattle breeders and traders- the bhotiyas of sub-Himalayan regions.
VI.
Socially graded herdsmen with hunting, agricultural and artisan population.3
Classification according to culture contact:
I.
Most primitive tribes, lives a joint communal life
II.
Attached to solitude and ancient traditions, are more individualistic.
III.
Those who are under external influence and are already on the way out by the loss of
their tribal culture, religion and social organization.
IV.
The tribes like Bhils and Naga, who are said to be the representatives of the old
aristocracy and retain, much of their original tribal life.
Classification based on Religious Beliefs:
I.
Hinduism
II.
Christianity
III.
Buddhism
IV.
Islam
V.
Jainism
VI.
Other religions
TRIBES OF RAJASTHAN- AN OVERVIEW
BHILS are said to be the oldest inhabitants of the country they are – “Adivasi” the original
settlers. They have been living in hills and forests. Items like spirits, ghosts, gods, goddesses, illhealth and cure practices based on supernatural considerations, are rampant in the Bhil society.
They are very superstitious and wear charms and amulets on the forearm to keep evil spirits at a
distance.4 MINA forms about 49% of the population of schedulded tribes in the state, except in
Ajmer district where minas are not included in the schedulded tribes. They account for 99 - 99.8
per cent of all ST population in the five districts namely Dhaulpur, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur,
Karauli, & Dausa. GARASIA constitute the third largest tribal group of the state of Rajasthan.
Garasia are primitive and neglected tribe of Rajasthan. SAHARIYA are primitive group. They
constitute 0.99% of the total tribal population of the state. In view of the primitive character of
these groups, greater emphasis is given to education, agriculture and health care. GADIA
LOHAR is the tribal nomadic communities and it means “blacksmith in vehicle.” They were
assigned the job of making weapons. The people of this tribe spent most of their time in bullockcart. The other tribal groups include Damors, Kathodi, rabari, bishnois.5
ORAL HEALTH BEHAVIOUR AMONG TRIBALS
Every culture has its own concepts of health, sickness and health promotion depicting values, beliefs,
knowledge and practices shared by its people.2 Alike all health problems, dental and oral diseases are
a product of economic, Socio-cultural status, environmental and behavioural factors. Poor hygiene,
poor nutrition and smoking contribute to dental and oral problems. In such matters learned behaviour
is of utmost importance, which in turn is linked to environmental and socio-economic conditions.
There are no traditional or advanced/ improved methods of oral hygiene as such which form a part of
tribe’s health behaviour for the maintenance of oral health and prevention of oral diseases. They do
not brush their teeth. They clean their teeth with mouthful of water. They are in habit of smoking
bidis, chillum and chewing tobacco and paan (beetle), which results in staining of the teeth.6
Dental caries is one of the most common oral health problems among tribes. Like caries; the
frequency of periodontal disease of the oral cavity is high. Periodontal disease is disease of teeth
itself and it afflicts the supporting structure of the teeth, especially the gingival, the alveolar
bone, the periodontal ligament and the cementum. These four structures constitute a single
functional unit called the periodontium, which is responsible for the healthy maintenance of the
tooth in its alveolus. Diseases in the tooth are characterized by modifications in the colour,
bleeding and ulceration or sloughing of the gums.7
Dental diseases are caused by malnutrition, unhygienic habits, bacterial infections, and betel
chewing, smoking and chewing of tobacco. The negligence of oral hygiene assists in the
accumulation of dental plaque that produces anaerobic organisms, which cause inflammation.
Inflammatory conditions spread to deeper structures of the periodontium and finally lead to
exfoliation of teeth. As a consequence of dietary deficiency, several oral diseases, for exampleGlossitis, Vitamin B deficiency; Mottled enamel; Angular stomatitis and spongy to bleeding
gums are observed among tribals.7,8,9
Alike all health problems, dental and oral diseases are a product of economic, social, cultural,
environmental and behavioural factors. Poor nutrition, poor hygiene and smoking habits contribute to
dental and oral problems. Like other health problems even the dental problems are related to spirit
intervention. Different spirit and deities are associated with various dental diseases. All deities have
their own respective departments and areas of influence. For example, Garasias believe that Dantio
Veer causes toothache and gum diseases. To appease Dantio veer they perform pooja with seven type
of grains mixed with seven types of colours.10,11,12
TRADITIONAL METHODS OF DENTAL CARE AMONG TRIBALS
There are no improved or advanced methods of oral hygiene among the tribal communities
which form a part of tribal health behaviour for the maintenance of oral health and prevention of
oral diseases. Health education can be effectively incorporated in development programmes in
promoting the prevention of diseases and dental care. Methods and techniques of dental care
among tribals comprise use of local materials. These are as follows:
1.
For cleaning teeth
(a) Baked clay from the earth.
(b) Twigs of rattan jot (Jatropha curcas)
(c) Twigs of Jhatbor(Ziziphus nummularia) as tooth brush.
2.
For loose teeth
(a) Local application of latex of tuar (Euphorbia neriifolia) with cotton.
3.
For teeth and jaw aches
(a) They chew roots of kanthar (Capparis sepiaria);
(b) Local application of crushed paste of roots of rattan-jot
(c) In case of toothache they brush their teeth with roots of chltravar (Plumbago
Zeylanica )
(d) In case of jaw ache they chew seeds of Gulari as well as inhale vapours of fumigated
Gulari (Solanum surattenc) seeds;
(e) For toothache they chew the stem of bajdanti, a
(f) In case of toothache they apply clove oil (laung ka tel) or the juice of the leaves of the
climbing bean (sem- ki- phalli )
4.
For swelling of gums
(a) They wash their mouth with solution of chilbaitha fruit boiled in water. They also use
solution of bark of kachnavar tree boiled in water is as mouthwash. The twigs of
Kachnavar are used for brushing the teeth.
6.
For dental caries
They use gum of the babool (Acacia nilotica) to fill the cavity.
7.
For relieving pain
They burn the crust of a coconut and a plate is inverted on it to collect heat and smoke in a
boll of cotton. This cotton is placed in cavity for relieving pain.10
MUTILATION OF TEETH
Tooth related and oral soft tissue mutilations are well recognized forms of mutilation.
Knowledge of these practices is important for the valuable insights they provide into the cultural
beliefs and traditions of the people who practise them. Tooth mutilation practices includes nontherapeutic tooth extraction(avulsion); the breaking off tooth crowns; alterations in shape of the
tooth crowns by filling and chipping; dental inlay work; lacquering and staining of teeth; and
placement of gold crowns for adornment purposes. Beliefs and associations ascribed to the
practice of tooth mutilations are:

Tribal identification

Sign of bravery

Sign of ceremonial rebirth

Aesthetics and adornment

Cultural mimicry

Local superstition
The use of decorative inlays and crowns for adornment purposes is a very popular practice
among the tribes. It is usually carried out for the purpose of beautification or to signify some
event. The nature of inlay materials used is jade, pyrite, gold. This is usually done in the labial
surface of upper central incisors, seen in both males and females. Small holes are drilled into the
labial surface of maxillary teeth and place pieces of gold, copper etc. in such defects.11,13
CONCLUSION
Isolation of tribes has kept them from the benefits of modern facilities. . In the ordinary course of
life the tribals hardly understand the nature of disease and they tend to associate the recovery of
patient with the superstitions practices either through the Bhopa or the observation of several
rituals. The tribals are ignorant of the intricate nature of disease. Treatment of disease is
primarily based on the indigenous sources. Traditional health care system have been prevalent
among the tribal of Rajasthan in one form or other based on medicinal herbs, roots and tubers
and healing practices. The psychological and emotional dimension in this care system has also
been equally important in the healing practice. The tribal people living closest to nature are
influenced more by socio-cultural and environmental dimensions in their healing practices. Since
tribal belief relates sickness, death and good health to the curse or goodwill of the deities
worshipped by the concerned tribes, appeasement of God as well as destruction of evil spirits,
forms a major part of psychosomatic healing or health care system.
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1. S.N.Mishra: Tribal studies of India-Antiquity to modern life. Inter-India
Publications;1998
2. Geertz, C.1973. The Interpretation of Culture. New York: Basic Books.
3. The Gazette of India Part I Sec 1, Government of India Publications. New Delhi
4. Nadeem hasnain. Tribal India. New Delhi: Palaka Publications;1994
5. Veena Bhasin. Medical Anthropology- tribals of Rajastan. New Delhi. Kamla-Raj
Publications. 2005
6. S.C.Dube. Tribal studies of India. Antiquity to modernity in tribal India continuity and
change among Indian tribes. Inter-India Publications. New Delhi, 1998
7. Robin B. Tribhuwan. Health of Primitive tribes. New Delhi: Discovery Publication
House; 2004
8. Veena Bhasin. Health Status of Tribals of Rajasthan. Ethno-Med., 1(2): 91-125 (2007)
9. Veena Bhasin. Oral Health behaviour among bhils of Rajasthan. Jou of Soc Sci 8(1) 15;2004
10. B.L.Nagda.Tribal population and health in Rajasthan. Stud Tribes Tribals. 2(1):1-8
(2004)
11. Binita Mathur. Tribal society and medical care-changing pattern of treatment. Himanshu
Publications. Udaipur
12. Oral health status and practices of dentate Bhil adult tribes of southern Rajasthan, India.
Kumar TS, Dagli RJ, Mathur A, Jain M, Balasubramanyam G, Prabu D, Kulkarni S.
13. Camaroff, Jean. 1981. “Healing and Cultural Transformation: The Swana of Southern
Africa.” Social Science and Medicine, 15 B: 367-378.