title: Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices on fixed dose combinations among postgraduate dental students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of fixed dose combination drugs among postgraduate dental students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was carried out among postgraduate dental students of dental colleges in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Three colleges were randomly selected and students of all the three years were included. Data was collected from the specialities of oral medicine and radiology, oral surgery, endodontics, pedodontics, periodontics, and public health dentistry. The total sample was 90 postgraduate students; informed consent was obtained from the participants, and a pretested questionnaire was distributed to them. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 90 postgraduates, 33 were males and 57 were females. Thirty-five percent were aware of the essential medical list (EML), among them 11% were from oral medicine and radiology and 6.7% were from pedodontics. However, most of them were unaware of the number of fixed dose combination drugs present in the World Health Organization EML. None of them were able to name at least a single banned fixed dose combination drug. Most of them were unaware of the advantages and disadvantages of using fixed dose combination drugs. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid was the most common drug prescribed by students (73.3%) followed by ofloxacin with ornidazole (54.4%), ibuprofen with paracetamol (53.3%), and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim (6%). Most of them were unaware of the rationality in using fixed dose combination drugs. Common sources of information were medical representatives 43 (47.8%), internet 39 (43.3%), and 12 (13.3%) reported using WHO EML.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an urgent need to improve knowledge on the rationality for using fixed dose combination, EML, and banned fixed dose combination in India to the promote rational use of fixed dose combination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Lenora Institute of Dental Sciences, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Narayana R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Vinnakota
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Lenora Institute of Dental Sciences, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krishna
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, SIBAR Institute of Dental Sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viswanath
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Navodaya Dental College and Hospital, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Zaheer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Lenora Institute of Dental Sciences, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Kamal S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Shaik
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Lenora Institute of Dental Sciences, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Naveen K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Boppana
keywords: Essential medical list; fixed dose combinations; knowledge