







































Cinthya et al                                                                                                                                 Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 4(1):21-25 

[21]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            AJDHS.COM 

 

 

Available online at ajdhs.com 

Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences 
Open Access to Dental and Medical Research 

Copyright  © 2024 The  Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided 

the original author and source are credited  

 

 

Assessment of Oral Health Awareness among the Individuals in 
Chengalpttu District: A Questionnaire Based Study 
Risalin Cinthya* , Rubasri Mohan , Priyadharshini Vijayakumar , Reshmapriya Dayanidhi , Hemalatha 

Ramakrishnan  

Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Dental Sciences, Padalam, Tamil Nadu 603308, India  

Article Info: 
_____________________________________________ 
Article History: 

Received   19 December 2023     
Reviewed  02 January 2024 
Accepted   17 January 2024 
Published 15 March 2024 

_____________________________________________ 
Cite this article as:  

Cinthya R, Mohan R, Vijayakumar P, Dayanidhi R, 
Ramakrishnan H, Assessment of Oral Health 
Awareness among the Individuals in Chengalpttu 
District: A Questionnaire Based Study, Asian 
Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 
4(1):21-25 
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v4i1.68   
_____________________________________________ 

*Address for Correspondence:   

Risalin Cinthya, Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of 

Dental Sciences, Padalam, Tamil Nadu 603308, 

India  

Abstract 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the 
patients visiting the OPD Department of periodontology and implantology KARPAGA VINAYAGA 
INSTITUTE OF DENTAL SCIENCES 

Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on the patient visiting OPD of 
KARPAGA VINAYAGA INSTITUE OF DENTAL SCIENCES, CHENGALPATTU 300 participants 
participated in this pilot study. This study included a self-administered questionnaire, which took 
an average of about 10 minutes to complete all the question. Responses from the subjects were 
calculated in terms of frequency and percentages. 

Results: Out of 300 participants 57.7% of them visit dentist only when they have dental problem. 
78% of the population is afraid to visit dentist due to fear of pain 87.3% of participants were of the 
opinion that tooth loss is a natural sequel of the aging process. 

Conclusion: There is a lack of awareness and a negligent attitude towards oral health among the 
general public. People must be motivated, and their attitudes towards the importance of oral health 
must be clarified through various programs. Comprehensive educational programs to promote 
excellent oral health and teach proper oral hygiene practices are desperately needed. 

Keywords: Oral attitudes, oral health behaviour, knowledge, and awareness 

 

INTRODUCTION: 

Oral health is defined as the standard of health of oral and 
related tissues, which helps an individual to eat, speak and 
socialize without disease, discomfort and contribute to general 
health. 1 Maintaining the oral health requires effort from both 
dentist as well as patient himself. It has been established that 
oral health is as significant as general health. Additionally, it has 
been noted that a significant component affecting general 
health is one level of education regarding dental health. 2 It has 
an impact on a person physical, physiological, social well-being. 
Chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and dental caries are 
becoming more prevalent in emerging nations and have a 
negative impact on both oral health and overall health. 3,4 
Similar to many other diet and health related disorders, 
treating dental disease is expensive. 5,6 Most people have 
tendency to neglect dental issues that are about to become 
more serious and have an impact on their general health. 
Millions of people suffer from ungovernable toothaches and 
poor quality of life as a result of people failure to recognize this 
fact. 

Though there is still lack of education about the oral health, 
especially for rural people who make up more than 70% of 
Indian population, despite the fact that numerous studies have 
been conducted periodically to examine people’s knowledge 
and behavior in this area. 7 Furthermore, despite having easy 
access to dental treatment, people who live in cities might still 

develop oral illness as a result of poor eating habits and 
unhealthy lifestyles. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 

Study Population and Ethical Clearance: 

A cross sectional study was conducted on the patient visiting 
OPD of KARPAGA VINAYAGA INSTITUTE OF DENTAL 
SCIENCES, CHENGALPET DISTRICT.  The study was started 
after obtaining approval from the Ethical committee.  

In order to access the suitability of the questionnaire,300 
participants participated in the pilot study. This study included 
self-administered questionnaire which took an average of 
about 10 min to complete all the question. 

 Study Sample 

A straight forward random sampling methods was used to 
choose the 300 participants that made up the study sample. The 
study comprised adults who were at least 18 years old. 
Participants were informed of and given explanation of the 
study’s goal, after obtaining informed consent the participants 
were asked to complete the questionnaires using the response 
options listed there. 

Questionnaires: 

Each of them received a self-made, closed-ended questionnaire 
that was prepared in vernacular language. The subjects chosen 

                     Open Access                                                                                                                                                                                                       Research Article                                                                           

http://jddtonline.info/
http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v4i1.68
https://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.22270/ajdhs.v4i1.68&amp;domain=pdf
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5154-0931
https://orcid.org/0004-7280-3969
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7177-2407
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9260-7579
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8547-7718


Cinthya et al                                                                                                                                 Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 4(1):21-25 

[22]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            AJDHS.COM 

have to be older than 18 in order for them to comprehend the 
questionnaire in its entirety. Two sections made up the 
questionnaire form. Age, sex, gender, occupation, and other 
demographic information about those taking part in the study 
were gathered in the first section of the questionnaire. the 
knowledge about dental health and the source of dental 
knowledge, the amount of time spent brushing, etc.  

Questionnaire used for collecting information from the study 
subjects. 

1. How frequently do you visit the dentist? 

A. 6 months once 

B. Once a year 

C. If only there is a dental problem   

2. Which type of dental aids do you use other than tooth 
brush? 

A. Dental floss 

B. Mouth wash 

3. Which of the following methods do you use while brushing? 

A. Vertical  

B. Horizontal  

C. Circular  

4. How many minutes you take to brush your teeth? 

A. 1min 

B. 2min 

C. 5min 

5. How frequently change your tooth brush? 

A. 3months once  

B. 6 months once  

C. Yearly once 

6. How many times do you brush a day? 

A. Once  

B. Twice 

7. Is it your first visit to dentist? 

A. Yes 

B. No 

8. What is your source of dental health? 

A. Friends 

B. Parents  

C. Tv / radio 

D. Dentist  

9. Do you think dental health is important? 

A. Yes  

B. No 

10. Do you think oral health affects general health? 

A. Yes  

B. No 

11. Do you rinse your mouth after food? 

A. Yes  

B. No 

12. Are you aware what dental plaque is? 

A. yes 

If yes, do you know dental plaque is the main cause for tooth 
loss. 

   a. Yes  

   b. No  

B. No 

13. Are you aware that sugar/ sticky food can causes tooth 
decay? 

A. Yes  

B. No 

14. Are you aware that bleeding gums is a sign of poor gum 
health? 

A. Yes  

B. No 

15. Are you afraid to visit a dentist?  

A. Yes 

B. No 

DATA COLLECTION 

To ensure that the concerned respondent understood the 
questions and the likely answers in their entirety, an 
investigator was always present with the respondent while the 
questionnaires were being filled out. 

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS  

The data was transferred to Microsoft excel. For data analysis, 
each response was given a score of 1,2,3,4 respectively. Result 
was statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 24 in 
terms of frequency and percentage. 

RESULT  

The study was conducted among 300 subjects. All the subjects 
were above the age of 18. The majority of the participants came 
from rural areas and they are daily labors. The findings 
revealed that people's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors 
were significantly influenced by their educational level, which 
was one of the key determinants. Most of the subjects in this 
study were illiterate which was the main reason for the lack of 
awareness about dental health. 

A significant number of patients 14.7% said they had not 
consulted a dentist in the previous 12 months. The majority 
57.7% of the patients in the current study visited a dentist only 
if any oral health problem was present, whereas 27.7% of them 
visited the dentist every 6 months for oral prophylaxis. 
[Figure1] 

 

Figure 1FREQUENCY OF VISIT TO DENTIST 

27.7%

14.7%

57.7%

0

50

100

150

200

6 MONTHS ONCE ONCE A YEAR WHEN YOU HAVE A
PROBLEM

FR
EQ

U
EN

C
Y



Cinthya et al                                                                                                                                 Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 4(1):21-25 

[23]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            AJDHS.COM 

The majority of people 67% began using mouthwash even 
without a dentist's recommendation. This indicates the 
growing awareness of mouthwash without proper instruction 
and indication of the mouthwash. 33% of the people used the 
floss as an interdental cleaning aid shown in [Figure 2]. This 
shows the increase in use of chemical plaque control than 
mechanical plaque control. Evidently, fewer people were aware 
of the benefits of using dental floss to prevent dental disease 
and improve oral hygiene. 

 

Figure 2 VARIOUS CLEANSING AIDS USED BY THE PATIENTS 

0.7% of the study population spent 5 minutes to brush their 
teeth, while the majority of study participants 61.3% brush 
their teeth for less than 1min [Figure 3]. 38% of the population 
brush for 2 min, which is the ideal time for tooth brushing. 

 

Figure 3 TIME DEVOTED TOWARD TOOTH BRUSHING 

Majority 63.3% of the population had never been to dentist and 
38.7% of those who had gone to dentist avoided the visit due to 
fear of pain [Figure4]. Most of the population, 61.3% brushed 
their teeth in horizontal direction did not use a mirror while 
brushing, about 19.7% of the people brushed in vertical 
direction while, others 19.0% used circular direction to brush 
their teeth [figure5].

 

          

            

 

In the study population the majority of the patients (55%) 
reported rinsing their mouths with plain water after meals, 
whereas 45% patient don’t rinse their mouth [figure 6] shows 
lack of knowledge about oral health. Majority 78% of the 

patient were afraid to visit the dentist due to the fear of pain 
and anxiety about extraction. 22% of the study groups said they 
were not afraid as they have little knowledge about the dental 
procedure [figure7].

 

                                     

Figure 7 HABIT OF THE STUDY PATIENTS TO RINSE AFTER EVERY MEAL               

 

33%

67%

0

50

100

150

200

250

FLOSS MOUTH WASH

FR
EQ

U
EN

C
Y

61.3%

38%

0.7%
0

50

100

150

200

1 MIN 2 MIN 5 MIN

63.3%

38.7%

YES NO

61.3%

19.7% 19%

0

50

100

150

200

FR
EQ

U
EN

C
Y

55%

45%

YES NO

78%

22%

YES NO

Figure 5 BRUSHING TECHNIQUES USED BY THE STUDY SUBJECTS 

 

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL CIRCULAR 

Figure 4 STUDY SUBJECTS FIRST VISIT TO DENTIST             

Figure 6 DESCRIBES THE STUDY SUBJECTS FEAR TO 

VISIT A DENTIST     

 



Cinthya et al                                                                                                                                 Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 4(1):21-25 

[24]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            AJDHS.COM 

To add on 87.3% of the subjects believed that bleeding gums is 
not related to poor gum health and believed that it is a natural 
sequel of aging, [figure8]. Figure 9 depicts the knowledge of 
study subjects and their source of dental knowledge. 60% of 

subjects gain their knowledge about dental health from their 
friends while 33.3% came to know from their parents and 6.7% 
of them gained knowledge from TV/ radio.

 

                 

 

 

 

DISCUSSION  

A person's oral health is an important component of overall 
health and a valuable asset. The state of oral health has 
consistently been neglected. People have underestimated the 
effects of poor oral health, which has resulted in bigger issues 
that will be more challenging to manage in the future. The 
degree to which we are unaware of our oro-dental health 
mostly depends on our level of knowledge. 8,9 

This study helps us to know about the educational level of the 
study subjects, which is indirectly related to the knowledge of 
the study subjects and his /her practice toward his health. 
About 66% of the study population believed that oral health is 
not related to general health. The most widespread 
noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, 
diabetes, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease shows 
many risk factors associated with oral diseases. Similar studies 
have also been conducted in other countries to evaluate the 
knowledge, attitude, and behavior of various groups, 
professionals, students, and citizens.14% of participants in our 
study group visits dentist every year, 27.7 % of their visit 
occurred in the previous six months, 57.7% of the participants 
reported they never visited a dentist, which may be attributed 
to dental anxiety and lack of knowledge about regular 
checkups. Similar results were obtained in other studies, the 
ideal tooth brushing time is 2min. In the current study only 38 
% of the participants reported brushing for 2 min. While 61.3% 
of them reported they brush for 1 min only. This indicates the 
need in the awareness about oral hygiene and dental health 
practices. 9,10 

One of the main reasons why people avoid going to the dentist 
is fear of pain. Despite major advancements in the field of 
dentistry, phobia of pain during treatment still exists among a 
sizable population, posing a barrier to receiving dental care. In 
our study around 63.3% of the participants never visited the 
dentist and believed that pain is a part of the dental procedure 
and avoided it. A study carried out by other brought out similar 
results. Further response of study subjects to the question 
regarding the use of other dental aids such as mouthwash, 67% 
had higher positive response. Only 33% of the study population 
used dental floss, the knowledge about floss was only known to 
people who has under gone orthodontic treatment. The use of 

dental floss to prevent the dental disease was apparently less 
understood by the population. From this it is clear that 
knowledge on dental floss has to be improved. 9,10,11 

Knowledge about Oral hygiene is very important and helps us 
to preserve the oral health. Most of the people acquire 
knowledge from different source like media, friend and family 
in this study. 60% of the individuals in our survey mentioned 
their parents as their primary source of information about oral 
health, while 33.3% referred other sources, indicating that all 
parents do not actively try to teach their kids about oral health. 
These results were found to be consistent with those of earlier 
studies, providing further proof that the subjects' oral health 
are not being educated by all parents. 11,12 

Results from systemic reviews recommended tooth brushing 
twice a day, the ideal tooth brushing time is 2min. This habit 
helps us to prevent the formation of carries as well as improve 
gingival health. In our study 55% of them had a habit of rinsing 
their mouth after food whereas 45% of patients rinsed their 
teeth once in the morning. The habit of rinsing the mouth after 
every meal is a goal to good oral health. 13,14,15 

 Majority ie., 87.3% of the patients believed that bleeding gums 
is natural phenomenon which occurs due to ageing but they 
didn’t know the fact that it occurs due to poor gum health. 
12.7% of them said there was indeed a relation between 
bleeding gums and poor gum health but patient did not 
consider it important to visit a dentist. 16,17 

A further finding from this study reveals individuals who are 
employed showed good oral health awareness than who are 
unemployed. This occurs due to the stress of unemployment 
which indirectly affects the oral health. Fear of pain is one of the 
important factors which prevent the patients from visiting the 
dentist hence awareness about the dental health should 
prioritize more. 17,18 

CONCLUSION 

The participants in this study exhibit a lack of awareness and a 
negligent attitude regarding their oral health. Education and 
motivation on oral health and associated issues are therefore 
desperately needed. The population as well as the health care 
workers frequently overlook this serious issue, as indicated by 
the cross-sectional study's findings. Dental professionals need 

12.7%

87.3%

YES NO

60%

33.3%

6.7%

0%
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

FRIENDS PARENTS TV/RADIO DENTIST

FR
EQ

U
EN

C
Y

FIGURE9 AWARENE ABOUT BLEEDING 

GUMS AMONG THE STUDY SUBJECTS 
FIGURE 8 SOURCE OF DENTAL HEALTH AMONG 

THE STUDY SUBJECTS 

 



Cinthya et al                                                                                                                                 Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2024; 4(1):21-25 

[25]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            AJDHS.COM 

to raise awareness about dental health and oral hygiene. 
Through various outreach programs in the areas that are less 
accessible to oral health institutions, this method needs to be 
expanded beyond the clinics. In addition, media can educate the 
public and encourage dental visits on a regular basis. In 
conclusion, it is our duty as dental professionals to educate and 
inspire this group of people who lack formal education so that 
we may make progress towards establishing a healthy 
environment. 

REFERENCES 

1. Singh A, Gambhir RS, Singh S, Kapoor V, Singh J. Oral health: How 
much do you know-A study on knowledge, attitude and practices of 
patients visiting a North Indian dental school. European journal of 
dentistry. 2014 Jan;8(01):063-7. https://doi.org/10.4103/1305-
7456.126244 PMid:24966748 PMCid:PMC4054034 

2. Abdulbaqi HR, Abdulkareem AA, Alshami ML, Milward MR. The oral 
health and periodontal diseases awareness and knowledge in the 
Iraqi population: Online‐based survey. Clinical and Experimental 
Dental Research. 2020 Oct;6(5):519-28. 
https://doi.org/10.1002/cre2.304 PMid:32592312 
PMCid:PMC7545227 

3. Ganss C, Schlueter N, Preiss S, Klimek J. Tooth brushing habits in 
uninstructed adults-frequency, technique, duration and force. 
Clinical oral investigations. 2009 Jun; 13:203-8. 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-008-0230-8 PMid:18853203 

4. Kwan SY, Holmes MA. An exploration of oral health beliefs and 
attitudes of Chinese in West Yorkshire: a qualitative investigation. 
Health education research. 1999 Aug 1;14(4):453-60. 
https://doi.org/10.1093/her/14.4.453 PMid:10557516 

5. Peltzer K, Pengpid S. Oral health behaviour and social and health 
factors in university students from 26 low, middle- and high-
income countries. International journal of environmental research 
and public health. 2014 Dec;11(12):12247-60. 
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111212247 PMid:25431876 
PMCid:PMC4276612 

6. Neamatollahi H, Ebrahimi M, Talebi M, Ardabili MH, Kondori K. Major 
differences in oral health knowledge and behavior in a group of 
Iranian pre-university students: a cross-sectional study. Journal of 
oral science. 2011;53(2):177-84. 
https://doi.org/10.2334/josnusd.53.177 PMid:21712622 

7. Marya CM, Grover S, Jnaneshwar A, Pruthi N. Dental anxiety among 
patients visiting a dental institute in Faridabad, India. West Indian 
Medical Journal. 2012 Mar 1;61(2):187. 

8. MacEntee MI, Marino R, Wong S, Kiyak A, Minichiello V, Chi I, Lo EC, 
Huancai L. Discussions on oral health care among elderly Chinese 
immigrants in Melbourne and Vancouver. Gerodontology. 2012 
Jun;29(2): e822-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-
2358.2011.00568.x 

9. Clement Chinedu A, Michael O. Tobacco use, alcohol consumption and 
self-rated oral health among Nigerian prison officials. 

10. Han K, Park JB. Association between oral health behavior and 
periodontal disease among Korean adults: The Korea national 
health and nutrition examination survey. Medicine. 2017 
Feb;96(7). https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000006176 
PMid:28207558 PMCid:PMC5319547 

11. Lertpimonchai A, Rattanasiri S, Vallibhakara SA, Attia J, 
Thakkinstian A. The association between oral hygiene and 
periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International 
dental journal. 2017 Dec 1;67(6):332-43. 
https://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12317 PMid:28646499 
PMCid:PMC5724709 

12. Macek MD, Atchison KA, Chen H, Wells W, Haynes D, Parker RM, 
Azzo S. Oral health conceptual knowledge and its relationships with 
oral health outcomes: findings from a multi‐site health literacy 
study. Community dentistry and oral epidemiology. 2017 
Aug;45(4):323-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12294 
PMid:28271537 PMCid:PMC5498245 

13. Macek MD, Haynes D, Wells W, Bauer‐Leffler S, Cotten PA, Parker 
RM. Measuring conceptual health knowledge in the context of oral 
health literacy: preliminary results. Journal of public health 
dentistry. 2010 Jun;70(3):197-204. 
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-7325.2010.00165.x 
PMid:20337901 PMCid:PMC3612930 

14. Márquez C, Almerich J, Montiel J. Oral health knowledge in relation 
to educational level in an adult population in Spain. J Clin Exp Dent. 
2019 Dec;11(12):1143-50. 

15. Nyorobi JM, Carneiro LC, Kabulwa MN. Knowledge and practices on 
periodontal health among adults, Misungwi, Tanzania. 
International Journal of Dentistry. 2018 Nov 1;2018. 
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7189402 PMid:30515213 
PMCid:PMC6236872 

16. Oberoi SS, Mohanty V, Mahajan A, Oberoi A. Evaluating awareness 
regarding oral hygiene practices and exploring gender differences 
among Patients attending for oral prophylaxis. Journal of Indian 
Society of Periodontology. 2014 May;18(3):369.  
https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-124X.134580 PMid:25024553 
PMCid:PMC4095632 

17. Ganss C, Schlueter N, Preiss S, Klimek J. Tooth brushing habits in 
uninstructed adults-frequency, technique, duration and force. 
Clinical oral investigations. 2009 Jun; 13:203-8. 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-008-0230-8 PMid:18853203 

18. Siddaiah SB, Ramachandra JA, Mehta DV, Gopinath G. Assessment of 
Oral Health Awareness among Residential and Day School-going 
Children in South Bengaluru: A Questionnaire-based Survey. 
World. 2021 May;12(3):235. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-
10015-1815

 

 

https://doi.org/10.4103/1305-7456.126244
https://doi.org/10.4103/1305-7456.126244
https://doi.org/10.1002/cre2.304
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-008-0230-8
https://doi.org/10.1093/her/14.4.453
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111212247
https://doi.org/10.2334/josnusd.53.177
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00568.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00568.x
https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000006176
https://doi.org/10.1111/idj.12317
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12294
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-7325.2010.00165.x
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7189402
https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-124X.134580
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-008-0230-8
https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10015-1815
https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10015-1815

