Dental Students’ Perception Towards The Role Of Diet And Nutrition On Oral Health

Abstract

Oral health is driven by a variety of factors affecting its health and illness.  Poor oral health is associated with a wide range of chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. There is a  complementary relationship between oral health and nutrition There is no doubt as to the claim that diet plays a central role in the development of tooth decay. The present study was conducted to assess the dental students' knowledge and perception towards the role of diet and nutrition on oral health.

Materials and methods: The present study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among the dental undergraduates and postgraduates of a university in tamil nadu. A questionnaire containing 10 close-ended questions regarding diet and nutrition and its effect on dental caries and oral health was prepared.The data were collected and tabulated using the Microsoft Excel sheet. The recorded data were subjected to frequency distribution and Chi-square statistical tests using the IBM SPSS software version 22. The graphs were interpreted and the results obtained.

Results: A total of 100 responses were received out of which most of them were interns. 36% of the people counsel the patients always, 48% said sometime and 16 % said never. 58% had said that diet counselling will help in preventing dental caries, and 41% said maybe that they are not sure. In the present study, the majority (45%) of the participants reported sucrose to be the major factor causing dental caries.

Conclusion: According to the present study, the dental students have an excellent knowledge and perception towards the role of diet and nutrition on oral health.