Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices about Dental Home among Healthcare Professionals of Belagavi City: A Cross-sectional Study

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim and objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices about dental home among healthcare professionals of Belagavi city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 400 participants was divided into four groups (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Nursing, and Medical) based on their healthcare specialty. A 20 item validated questionnaire containing four domains was distributed among the participants. The data was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis was used followed by Chi-square for association and one-way ANOVA for comparison followed by Karl Pearson correlation coefficient for determining the correlation between knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare professionals. The results of the study showed that the knowledge and practices were statistically not significant among all healthcare professionals (p > 0.05). However, the results were found to be statistically highly significant when correlation was done between knowledge, attitude, and practices (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The study concludes that there is a need to increase the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices among healthcare professionals about the concept of dental home. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The clinical significance of our study is the implementation of the dental home concept in India, which can prove to be a source of coordinated care that emphasizes overall patient health and aids in rendering quality treatment. Through this initiative oral health can be incorporated as a primary healthcare entity. This can also provide an opportunity for dental professionals to take the lead in applying successful strategies to improve the provision of dental care. Moreover, treatment needs if taken care at the preliminary stages itself, can reduce a major oral healthcare burden from extensive debilitating oral pathologies in the pediatric population. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Saxena N, Hugar SM, Patil V, et al. Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices about Dental Home among Healthcare Professionals of Belagavi City: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(2):164-167.