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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2014; 08(01): 063-067
DOI: 10.4103/1305-7456.126244
Original Article
Dental Investigation Society

Oral health: How much do you know? – A study on knowledge, attitude and practices of patients visiting a North Indian dental school

Agiapal Singh
1   Department of Public Health Dentistry, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India
,
Ramandeep Singh Gambhir
1   Department of Public Health Dentistry, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India
,
Simarpreet Singh
1   Department of Public Health Dentistry, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India
,
Vinod Kapoor
2   Department of Oral Surgery, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India
,
Jagjit Singh
3   Department of Periodontics, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
24 September 2019 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior among patients visiting the out-patient department (OPD) of Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 642 subjects who visited the OPD of Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital. A self-constructed questionnaire was given to each of the participant. Responses from the subjects were calculated in terms of numbers and percentages. Result: Three hundred six (48%) of the subjects had never visited a dentist before. 304 (47%) of the subjects still prefer other cleaning aids over toothbrush. 207 (32%) subjects were of the view that dental health has no effect on general health, whereas 219 (34%) subjects were of the opinion that tooth loss is a natural sequel of the aging process. Conclusion: There is a dearth of knowledge and careless attitude among people in regard to dental health. People need to be motivated and their concepts regarding the importance of dental health should be made clear through various campaigns and personal counseling.

Key words:

Dental school - knowledge - oral health - patients
 

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