Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental and medical interns toward toothbrush maintenance and replacement in Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Toothbrushes are an important medium for maintaining good oral hygiene, and hence there arises a need to maintain and replace toothbrushes at a regular interval. Assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the medical and dental interns would help the society in promoting oral hygiene in a broader aspect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 759 medical and dental interns residing in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. The data on oral health KAP were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was evaluated using SPSS software package, version 19. RESULTS: Of 759 participants, 445 were dental interns and 314 were medical interns. Knowledge about toothbrush maintenance was seen to be more in the dental interns. The attitude toward maintenance was seen to be better among the dental interns compared with the medical interns. The practice of toothbrush maintenance was seen in both the groups but more dominantly in the dental interns. CONCLUSION: Education regarding the effective use and maintenance of the toothbrush would help improve the KAP toward toothbrush maintenance and replacement. The lack of knowledge holds back the attitude of properly maintaining the toothbrush in a regular basis.