A knowledge, attitude, and practices study regarding dental floss among dentists in India

Exploring Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices Regarding Periodontal Health Assessment and Mechanical Plaque Control Among the Shillong Population of Meghalaya, India: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Investigation

Background Periodontal diseases are widespread oral health conditions. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the knowledge, awareness, and practices related to periodontal health assessment and mechanical plaque control among specific populations, such as those residing in Shillong, Meghalaya. Shillong, being the capital city of Meghalaya in northeastern India, represents a diverse demographic and cultural landscape. Aim This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and practices related to mechanical plaque control among the population of Shillong City. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted among the residents of Shillong City, Meghalaya. Data collection involved the administration of an 18-item, closed-ended, self-structured questionnaire. Before the main data collection, a pilot study was conducted involving 63 individuals. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), employing the chi-square test and ANOVA with a significance level of 0.05. Results Study participants were categorized into five age groups spanning from 21 to 64 years old, with the age group of 41 to 50 years demonstrating the highest mean knowledge score. Age exhibited a statistically significant influence on knowledge scores. Conclusion The study reveals a commendable level of knowledge, awareness, and adherence to practices regarding the primary tool for oral hygiene maintenance, the toothbrush, among the residents of Shillong City.

Are Dentists Hypocrites? Oral Self-care Habits and Self-reported Oral Health Status among Dentists and Non-dentists in Croatia

Objectives

Dentists provide dental care to their patients and educate them on their oral hygiene and how to maintain oral health. This paper aimed to determine whether dentists are hypocritical when advising their patients on oral hygiene procedures and dental treatments because they do not apply to themselves what they recommend to others.

Material and methods

This is a self-reported study conducted through an online survey questionnaire completed by 1001 participants, of whom 551 were non-dentists and 450 dentists. This is the first study on oral hygiene habits and oral status among dentists in Croatia. This research included almost 10% of the total number of working dentists in Croatia.

Results

In terms of dental hygiene habits, dentists brushed, flossed and used interdental brushes more frequently, and they also changed toothbrushes more frequently, whereas they attended check-ups less frequently. Dentists also reported a smaller number of teeth with cavities, a greater number of teeth with fillings, a greater number of extracted teeth, and a greater number of dental crowns, but a smaller number of healthy teeth compared to general population. However, dentists had a much higher proportion of participants over 30 years of age, and when sub-analysis of participants over 30 years of age was performed, dentists had a greater number of healthy teeth compared to the general population.

Conclusions

The results showed that dentists are aware of the importance of their oral health and that they do not pay attention only to their oral hygiene habits, but also apply advice they give their patients. Therefore, they cannot be considered hypocritical.

Prevalence of usage of various removable appliances among undergraduate dental students in a private dental college

The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of usage of various removable appliances among undergraduate dental students in private dental colleges. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India. A dental record of patients was investigated. Data evaluation was completed and entered into Microsoft Excel. Gender distribution among the cohorts was assessed. The most commonly used appliance is Hawley's appliance (61), followed by Essix retainer (25), Begg's wrap-around retainer (23), Hawley's appliance with tongue crib (16), cantilever spring (7), splint (7), and T spring (1), respectively. The majority of the females (36) took Hawley's appliance. The difference was not statistically significant between both the arches and between the male and female population. Hawley's appliance is the most commonly used removable appliance among dental graduates.

Awareness and Practice of Oral Health Measures in Medina, Saudi Arabia: An Observational Study

The aim of this observational study is to investigate the oral health status and practices in the multicultural community of Medina, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed that asked about oral health, dental and periodontal conditions, personal attitudes toward dental care, and smoking habits. Cross tabulation with chi-squared testing was carried out to investigate the association of toothbrush usage and smoking with several variables. Four-hundred and sixty subjects enrolled in the study. The majority of the respondents were students and Saudi males. More than 75% of the participants had neither a family dentist nor dental insurance; 7% were smokers, 84% used a toothbrush, 17% used dental floss and 34% used miswak (a teeth cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree). Some of the individuals complained of tooth sensitivity, halitosis and bleeding gums. The main reason for dental visits was pain, with 23% of the participants having never visited a dentist. Tooth brushing was significantly associated with gender, nationality, occupation, education, marital status, having kids and dental insurance (p ≤ 0.05). Tobacco consumption was significantly associated with age, occupation, education level, marital status, having children, having bleeding gingivae and halitosis. Effective dental education programs are needed to improve dental knowledge and awareness in the Medina community.

Dental Floss Prescription Pattern among the Dental Interns of Nepal

Introduction:

Periodontal disease is regarded as one of the preventable diseases. It can be prevented through effective plaque control measures that require mechanical instrumentation with various surgical or non-surgical periodontal therapies as well as daily oral hygiene measures. Dental professionals must be competent enough to promote good oral health by educating patients with daily oral hygiene practice measures. In this regard, the study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice behaviour for using as well as prescribing dental floss among the dental interns of Nepal.

Methods:

An online questionnaire consisting of two sections; the first comprised of the sociodemographic and professional aspects and the second consisted of questions related to knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the use of dental floss, and its prescription was prepared using Google forms and the link was shared. The data were analysed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software.

Results:

In this study, the participants were familiar with the dental floss, but many lacked awareness regarding its proper use. Ninety-nine (64.3%) of the participants personally used dental floss. Only six (3.9%) never prescribed it to their patients. Among those who prescribed, only 37 (25%) always demonstrated the techniques.

Conclusions:

The study indicated that many participants used dental floss, however, educating and recommending the patient about it was comparatively low. This emphasizes the need to increase the awareness and use of interdental aids among dental interns to provide good oral self-care practices for the patient.

Comparison of Dental Flossing and Oral Health Status among Dental Students and High School Students

Background: Along with brushing, using dental floss is an important part of tooth cleaning. This adjunctive method helps remove the bacterial plaque mainly from the interdental area and from the gingival sulcus.

The aim of the study was to compare the correct and incorrect methods of using dental floss among students from different high schools and students from the Faculty of Dentistry.

Material and methods: A total number of 96 young adults with a mean age of 21 years (range 18–25 years) were admitted in the study, being divided into three groups: students from Baia Mare (Group 1), students from Odorheiu Secuiesc (Group 2), and the control group consisted of students from the Faculty of Dental Medicine from Tîrgu Mureș (Group 3). The students were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding the use of dental floss. In the second part of the study, a total number of 30 students (10 students from each group) were examined using the Williams periodontal probe, a dental mirror, and a dental probe, and the following parameters were recorded: the papilla bleeding index (PBI), the tartar index (TI), and the DMF-S index.

Results: The lowest gingival bleeding during brushing was observed in Group 3 (p = 0.0070). The majority of people who regularly use dental floss were in Group 3 (p <0.0001). There were no significant differences between groups regarding gender in the use of dental floss: Group 1 (p >0.9999), Group 2 (p = 0.3358), and Group 3 (p = 0.3303).

Conclusions: Regarding the used periodontal indices (TI, PBI), the highest peak was achieved by students from Group 2, and the lowest values were recorded among students from Group 3. The DMF-S index was the highest among students from Group 1 and lowest among students from Group 3.