Knowledge and awareness of Consumer Protection Act among private dentists in Tricity, Punjab.
BACKGROUND
Consumer Protection Act (CPA) aims to protect the interests of the patients in case of any unethical treatment rendered by a medical or a dental health professional. The present study was conducted to assess knowledge and awareness of CPA among dental professionals in a Tricity in India.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 265 private dental practitioners in Tricity. A close-ended self-structured questionnaire was administered which contained 15 questions on knowledge and awareness regarding CPA. Categorization of knowledge scores was done at three levels-low, medium and high. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA and Student t-test.


RESULTS
54.7% (145) of subjects were having low knowledge scores, 23.3% (62) had a medium score and 21.8% (58) had a high score. Mean knowledge score according to educational level was statistically significant (P<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in case of gender and type of practice (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study showed that majority of the subjects were aware of the existence of CPA but knowledge regarding basic rules and regulations was lacking in few studies. Therefore, dental professionals need to keep them updated of various rules and latest amendments to save themselves from any litigation.
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Ramandeep Singh
RS
Gambhir
Department of Periodontics, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Jagjit Singh
JS
Dhaliwal
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India ; Department of Periodontics, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Samir
S
Anand
Department of Periodontics, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Arvind
A
Bhardwaj
Awareness; Consumer Protection Act; consent; dental profession; knowledge