Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Postgraduate Students of Panjab University, Chandigarh: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the most commonly occurring dental problems. Proper knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) of oral health of young adults will help in prevention of these diseases. AIM: To comparatively evaluate the oral health KAPs related to oral health of postgraduate students of Panjab University, Chandigarh, with respect to gender and different departments. SETTING AND DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire that assessed KAPs of postgraduate students, aged 17–25 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This survey was undertaken on 600 postgraduate students of Panjab University, Chandigarh. The sample was divided into 3 groups: group I—arts students (n = 200), group II—science students (n = 200), and group III—commerce students (n = 200). Data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-squared test was used for comparison between different groups. ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis compared the data between different departments, and Mann–Whitney U test between males and females. RESULTS: The students of arts had significantly lesser knowledge of oral health compared with other departments. About 65% arts students believed that sweets/soft drinks/chips were causing tooth decay compared with 83% science and 80% commerce students (p value < 0.001). About 52.5% arts students had knowledge that blood on the toothbrush was indicative of gum disease followed by 67% science and 76% commerce students (p value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our study, there was no significant difference in gender with respect to KAPs of oral health but a significant difference was observed among different departments with arts students showing significantly lesser knowledge. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Verma L, Passi S, Sharma U, et al. Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Postgraduate Students of Panjab University, Chandigarh: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(2):113–118.