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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2021; 15(01): 145-151
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1716583
Original Article

Investigating the Level of Knowledge of the Community about Oral and Dental Health

Sinem Birant 
1   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Mine Koruyucu
2   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Hazal Ozcan
2   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Ceren Ilisulu
3   Pediatric Dentist, Private Practice, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Yelda Kasimoglu
2   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Nilufer Ustun
4   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Simin Kocaaydin
2   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Dilara Bektas
3   Pediatric Dentist, Private Practice, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Gulsevim Usta
3   Pediatric Dentist, Private Practice, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Cansu Akay Tekin
3   Pediatric Dentist, Private Practice, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Nural Bekiroglu
5   Department of Biostatistics, Medical School, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Figen Seymen
2   Department of Pedodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
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Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to determine the knowledge and approaches of the participants about oral and dental health.

Materials and Methods This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. Participants’ demographic characteristics, tooth brushing habits, selection of toothpaste, and reasons for visiting the dentist were examined in this study. Participants’ knowledge levels of fluoride and their attitudes toward the most common fluoride applications among preventive treatments were also evaluated. Data entry and analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive and inferential statistics and chi-square test were used for analyzes.

Results A total of 2,744 voluntary participants including 1,938 (70.6%) females and 806 (29.4%) males responded; 1,391 (50.7%) participants know the contents of their toothpaste; 1,680 (61.2%) participants point out that fluoride is effective in preventing dental caries. Female participants reported a statistically significant difference in their knowledge of what is fluoride when compared with male participants (p = 0.0001). The knowledge level of participants who had higher levels of education were statistically significantly different when compared with the participants who had lower education levels about fluoride and fluoride applications (p = 0.0001).

Conclusions The results of this study indicate that participants’ attitudes toward oral health and dental care need to be improved.

Keywords

dental health - behavior - parents - fluoride - education - oral health


Publication History

Article published online:
15 September 2020

© 2020. European Journal of Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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