Aim and Objective: To determine the periodontal health disparities among privileged and underprivileged tribes of Waynad, Kerala.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey was done among 600 Kurichiya and 400 Paniya tribal populations of Wayanad District, Kerala from January 2015 to June 2015 after approval from the Institutional ethical committee. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding study variables. Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was used to record the periodontal status of the study population after obtaining informed consent.
Results: In this study periodontal disease was found to be far more prevalent among the underprivileged Paniyas than among the privileged Kurichiyas (P < 0>
Conclusion: The present study demonstrates gross disparities in periodontal health status among the privileged and the underprivileged tribes of Wayanad and the need for active health interventions to eliminate such disparities.

Keywords: Periodontal Diseases, Paniya Tribes, Kurichiya Tribes, Disparities, Wayanad, Cross sectional study