To assess the knowledge and awarness of periodontal disease among out patients in saveetha dental college- A questionnaire study

Background and Objectives: Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent diseases affecting the oral cavity and is one of the principal causes of tooth loss now. It also has a strong relationship with various systemic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac diseases, adverse pregnancy outcomes, HIV, chronic lung diseases.Sufficient knowledge of oral health care behaviour and understanding of scientific reason for its improvement is an important precondition to improve oral-health. Educational level is one of the factors that could determine the oral health status of the individuals. Hence this study was conducted to obtain baseline data about the knowledge levels of periodontal disease among various educational groups to determine areas of oral health education that needs to be improved for the vulnerable population. Materials and Methods: The present study was done on out patients that reported to Saveetha dental college and hospitals, Chennai, India. 470 patients (Males = 260 Females = 210) were included in this study. A 15-item questionnaire was designed for the study, which contained questions about knowledge of the patients about periodontal disease and oral-systemic diseases link along with their demographic details. Patients from both genders, with any educational (illiterates, primary, medium, high school, college and post graduates) level were included in the study. Results: According to 40.2% patients gum disease is hypersensitivity of teeth and for 20.63% patients it is bleeding from gums. The highest reported predisposing factor that causes gum disease was dental plaque and calculus (35.1%) and pan chewing (34.74%). Of the total population, 67.23% patients were aware about the relationship ship between diabetes and oral health status. 24.46% believed that oral problems can affect heartand about 69% of the patients were unaware of the relationship of HIV, pregnancy and chronic lung disease with oral health status. Conclusion: There seemed to be much room for improvement of oral hygiene and self-care among the patients. This can be done not only by increasing the accessibility to the oral health services in the country but to a greater extent by improving the knowledge and awarness about dental problems, their link with other systems of the body and by attempting to change their attitude towards oral health.