title: Perception of dental practitioners regarding the use of antioxidants in oral health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Free radicals play a key role in the development of several pathological conditions. Therefore, antioxidants (AOs) are the first line of defense against free radical damage and are critical for maintaining optimum health and well-being.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the perception of dental practitioners regarding use of antioxidants in oral health.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 296 dental practitioners in Tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, India). A self-structured close-ended questionnaire was used to assess the perception of dentists regarding the use of antioxidants in their patients. It consisted of 12 questions with dichotomous response and five point likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, followed by the Chi-square test to check significant differences between the responses. Correlation between responses were analysed through the Spearman's rank correlation. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 (Illinois, Chicago, USA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant difference was observed between genders, with females 181 (61%) having more knowledge than males 115 (39%) regarding the use of antioxidants in their clinical practice. It has been found that dental professionals in academics prescribes more antioxidants to their patients than the private practitioners. Postgraduates 76 (77.6%) had a higher level of knowledge than graduates 86 (43%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge about antioxidants should be highlighted in the health sciences curriculum. It is recommended to expand the use of antioxidants in oral health to bring down the burden of chronic diseases like periodontitis and catastrophic diseases like precancerous lesions and oral cancer.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  antioxidants, free radicals, mouth neoplasms, oral health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Ravneet Kaur
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Randhawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Mohit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Preety
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Barwala, Panchkula district, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Sahil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thakar
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D009909:Oral Health; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants