Dental Caries Prevention Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice among Patients at a University Hospital in Guangzhou, China.
Rui JiangJiali YuRafiqul IslamXiang LiErmin NiePublished in: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) (2023)
Background and Objectives : This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of patients regarding dental caries prevention in a university hospital in Guangzhou, China. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based KAP survey was conducted in a cross-sectional manner at the First Affiliated Hospital in Guangzhou, China, from 1 September to 30 September 2022. Questionnaires were distributed to eligible patients, resulting in the participation of 251 individuals . The questionnaire consisted of five sections capturing socio-demographic data and exploring participants' knowledge, attitudes, practice, and accurate preventive dental caries knowledge. Descriptive statistics and a generalized linear model with univariate tests were used for analysis. Results : The study results show that the knowledge score 7.97 (±0.91) and attitudes score 7.67 (±0.89) among the participants were good while the practice score was 6.80 (±0.81) moderate. The majority of participants identified tooth infections (81.3%), bacteria (92%), and sugar (89.2%) as the main causes of gum bleeding and tooth decay. Brushing (96%) and fluoride (80.5%) were also recognized as essential for preventing tooth decay. Of oral diseases, 94% were recognized as potentially affecting overall health. The vast majority ranging from 92.8% to 98%, believed that oral health is crucial to overall health and that regular check-ups and proper brushing habits are beneficial. There is a significant association of gender with age ( p = 0.018), occupation ( p = 0.050), lifestyle habit ( p = 0.012), and knowledge score; whole education is significantly associated with practice score ( p = 0.050). Conclusions: The majority of patients exhibited accurate knowledge and attitudes with moderate practice towards dental caries prevention, with socio-demographic factors playing a major role. However, effective implementation of dental health education programs across the healthcare system is still required to further enhance outcomes.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- primary care
- end stage renal disease
- mental health
- quality improvement
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- public health
- newly diagnosed
- emergency department
- physical activity
- oral health
- cardiovascular disease
- type diabetes
- risk assessment
- prognostic factors
- health information
- adipose tissue
- patient reported outcomes
- big data
- deep learning
- skeletal muscle
- drinking water