Knowledge and extent of awareness regarding oral and systemic healh among nursing professionals of A. J. Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore

Background: General health cannot be attained or maintained without oral health. The mouth is regarded as the mirror of the body and the gateway to good health. The services of nurses are also required in promoting the oral health knowledge among the general public Objective: The study was carried out to assess awareness regarding oral and systemic health amongst nursing professional of A.J Medical College, Mangalore. Materials and Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among the nursing professionals of A.J Institute of Medical science, Mangalore. A self constructed questionnaire was distributed to 250 nursing staff. The survey questionnaire consisted of questions that were categorized broadly to two parts. The first part evaluated oral hygiene practices including the knowledge. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of evaluating their knowledge regarding the relationship between oral health and systemic health. Results: The result of this study shows an lack of oral hygiene awareness and limited knowledge regarding the relationship between systemic health and oral health. Conclusion: Nurses and associated health care providers are focused on educating patients regarding diet, exercise, medications with the goal of reducing long term complications but oral health is not emphasized. In this regard, effort should be made to increase the awareness among the nursing professionals regarding oral health.