EVALUATION OF ORAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND SELF-CARE PRACTICE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN NAJRAN, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Authors: Siraj DAA KHAN, Musleh AL-GARNI, Faisal MOHAMMAD, Mohammad ALI, Fahad FAIZ

Abstract:

Objective. To assess the attitude, knowledge and practice of healthcare professionals towards self-oral health. Materials and methods. A questionnaire-based study was conducted on a total of 392 professionals from different fields, i.e. medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, participating in the study. The questionnaire contained questions about their attitude, knowledge and self-practice. Results and discussion. Most of the participants showed a positive attitude, had proper knowledge of teeth cleaning and practised it daily. However, knowledge about the importance of fluoride and dental visits is low. Professionals from the medical field had more knowledge, compared to others. Conclusions. There is a need to improve the knowledge and information of health workers by training so they can practice it routinely.

Keywords:
  • health care professional
  • KNOWLEDGE
  • practice
  • self-oral healthcare