Knowledge of Medical Practitioners about Periodontal Diseases and Its Impact on Overall Health: A Cross-sectional Study

The Effectiveness of Oral Health Education Among Non-dental Healthcare Professionals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Quasi-experimental Study

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the level of oral health knowledge and practices among non-dental health professionals and to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health education provided to them.

METHOD

A convenience sample was recruited from non-dental healthcare professionals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to participants to evaluate their oral health knowledge and behavior. Then, oral health educational material (a video) that was specifically developed for the study was sent to all participants to educate them about some oral health information related to adult oral health, oral signs of some systemic diseases, and the oral side effects of some medications. Two weeks later, the same questionnaire was sent to these participants to assess the effectiveness of the oral health education provided to them.

RESULT

The pre-intervention questionnaire results revealed a lack of oral health knowledge and inadequate oral health practices among the participants. After the intervention, the level of knowledge improved significantly from 6.4±2.2 to 10.4±3.8 out of 16 (p <0.001).

CONCLUSION

The oral health education intervention used in the current study was effective in improving oral health knowledge among non-dental healthcare professionals.

Awareness of physicians and dentists in Serbia about the association between periodontitis and systemic diseases: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Strong evidence supports the association between periodontitis and certain systemic diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge of a group of physicians and dentists in Serbia regarding this topic and assess their professional actions to prevent and control both periodontal and systemic diseases.

METHODS

An anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire was sent to the available e-mail addresses of randomly selected healthcare providers working in Serbia. According to the inclusion criteria, general practitioners, specialists, general dentists, and specialists working in government hospitals and private practices in various cities in Serbia were recruited in the study. The questionnaire consisted of 17 questions divided into three parts. The first part recorded the sociodemographic characteristics of participants, the second part included questions about the clinical manifestation and etiology of periodontitis, as well as knowledge of the association between periodontitis and systemic diseases, and the third part included questions about professional procedures for the prevention and control of periodontitis and systemic diseases.

RESULTS

A total of 1301 health participants, 739 (57.8%) physicians and 562 (43.2%) dentists, were included in this cross-sectional study. Most respondents (94.7%) were aware of the association between periodontitis and general health. The highest percentage of respondents associated diabetes mellitus and periodontitis. Factors significantly associated with higher knowledge were female sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-2.52; p < 0.001) and dental profession (OR, 5.86; 95% CI], 4.03-8.53; p < 0.001). Participants who had higher knowledge score were more likely to ask their patients about gum/systematic health (p < 0.001) and refer them to dentists/physicians (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that compared to the group of dentists, the group of physicians had less knowledge of the relationship between periodontitis and systemic diseases. The female gender was significantly associated with better knowledge. A better understanding of this topic is associated with better clinical practice.