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<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the prevalence of missing and damaged teeth among women in the rural southern plains of Nepal using an interviewer-administered tooth assessment module.<h4>Setting</h4>21wards in seven Village Development Committees across the Tarai of Nepal in 2015.<h4>Participants</h4>Resident, married women of children less than 5 years of age or those married in the 2 years prior to the survey, 14 to 49 years of age participating in a mid-year nutrition and health survey in the Tarai region of Nepal.<h4>Outcome measures</h4>Prevalence of missing and damaged teeth, history of dental problems, oral hygiene practices, access to dental treatment and risk factors for missing and damaged teeth.<h4>Results</h4>Of 3007 assessed women, aged 14 to 49 years of age, 22.8% (95% CI: 21.4-24.4) reported ≥ 1 missing or damaged teeth; 81.5% (95% CI 80.1-82.9) reported regularly practicing oral hygiene, typically with standard local dentifrices. Pain or discomfort in the oral cavity in the previous 6 months affected 17.6% of women. Among these, 43.8% had sought treatment from a dental facility, pharmacy or village doctor. Home remedies were commonly applied to relieve pain.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Broken and missing teeth are common, affecting nearly one-quarter of adult women of reproductive age in rural Southern Nepal, as assessed by an interviewer-administered questionnaire.