Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards oral hygiene of transgenders in Bhubaneswar during COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: Reducing harmful oral hygiene practices can minimize the negative impacts of periodontal diseases. Transgenders are among the most vulnerable groups. Knowledge of their oral hygiene awareness, attitude and behaviour shall help in improving their oral health and also in planning oral health strategies specific to this group. AIM: To explore the oral hygiene-related knowledge, attitude and practices of transgenders residing in the Bhubaneswar during COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the transgenders residing in Bhubaneswar using a self-structured questionnaire containing questions on knowledge, attitude and practices related to oral hygiene. Mann–Whitney U test was applied to find any significant differences between different variables in groups. RESULTS: A total of 205 transgenders participated in the study. Around 43.9% of the transgenders in rural areas felt they had bad breath and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Majority of the participants in the rural areas did not know how to describe the health of their teeth and gums while 43% of the participants in the urban areas felt their oral health was good. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups in the type of material used for cleaning teeth [p = 0.020]. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of brushing their teeth everyday [p = 0.005, duration of brushing [p = 0.052], tools used for cleaning teeth [p = 0.023] and method employed to control mouth odour. CONCLUSION: The information presented in this study adds onto our understanding of the oral hygiene related behaviour among the transgenders.