Abstract :
Introduction: Diagnosis of periodontal problems in dental colleges are mostly done by the interns and may not be timely diagnosed. The aim of the present study is to assess the knowledge and diagnosis of periodontal disease pathogenesis by the interns of various dental colleges from the southern most states of India.
Materials and Method: 780 participants from 30 dental colleges in South India filled a structured questionnaire consisting of 15 knowledge and 10 practice based questions related to periodontal disease. The variables such as period of internship (0-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 months) and working status in private dental clinics were recorded. The mean total knowledge and practice scores were calculated and statistical significance was based on probability values of less than 0.05.
Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the knowledge and practice scores among the interns according to their duration of internship (p
Keyword :
Periodontal disease, Diagnosis, Treatment plan, Referral, Questionnaire