Knowledge and Awareness towards Periodontal Diseases among Medical Students

Introduction: Oral health is an important factor in maintainingsound psychological and physical health. Periodontaldiseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis, are infectionsthat if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. The main causeof periodontal disease is bacterial plaque, the initiation andprogression of gingivitis and periodontitis. The aim of thisstudy was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness regardingperiodontal disease among medical students.Material and methods: The present cross-sectional studywas carried out among the MBBS students to evaluatethe knowledge regarding periodontal disease. All theundergraduate students studying in the college were eligibleto participate in the study. 300 students of first, second andthird professional enrolled in MBBS program were selectedfor the study. The students who had attended lectures ofDentistry or exposed to clinical practice were excluded thestudy and questionnaires were distributed the students. Theself-administered questionnaire was used to assess the studyparticipant's personal data and level of knowledge on issuesrelating to periodontal diseases. The data were collected andanalyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciencesversion 21.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Statistical significance was based on P < 0.05.Results: In the present study total students were 270. 37.66%students think vertical brushing technique is better for goodoral health. 31.66% students think vitamin C deficiency is themost common cause for bleeding gums. 72.66% students thinkpoor oral hygiene is the most common cause for bad breath.68.33% students think coffee or tea causes staining of teeth.61.66% students think bad oral hygiene affects your generalhealth. 65.66% students think improper tooth brushing is themost common cause for receding gums. In 86.66% studentsno family member lost more than 6 teeth at young age of <35years.Conclusion: The students showed reasonable knowledgeregarding periodontal health. But, also there is need tostrengthen the diagnostics for early detection of periodontaldisease in young adults.