Unmet need for education by professionals and inconsistency in knowledge and behavior of dental patients.
In order to identify what knowledge dental patients have of oral health and to analyze the potential relationship between knowledge, behavior and oral health status, 250 randomly selected patients were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Responses were analyzed based on the age, gender and educational status of participants. It was determined that oral health-related behavior and knowledge were generally inadequate. Although knowledge had some influence on behavior, this was not constantly observed. The unmet need of patients with regard to getting information from professional resources emphasizes the need for dental professionals to dedicate more time to prevention and the promotion of oral health through efficient strategies.
Department of Oral Diagnosis & Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey. suysal@hacettepe.edu.tr
Serdar
S
Uysal
Ferda Alev
FA
Akalin
Nermin
N
Yamalik
Ilker
I
Etikan
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003729:Dental Care; D003778:Dentures / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009909:Oral Health; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000523:psychology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult