Knowledge and Attitude among Health Workers of Primary Health Centers in a District

Abstract

Introduction: Health is dynamic and multifactorial in nature. Oral health is an integral part of general health. Oral cavity being the gateway for the human body, any impairment of oral health can manifest not only in the oral cavity but also elsewhere in the body. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitude of health workers of primary health centers (PHC). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 520 health workers working in PHC of a district. The study was carried out in the month of September-October 2014. Questionnaire was based on questions regarding knowledge and attitude in relation to oral health. The questionnaire included 11 questions in which the first 6 questions were to assess knowledge, and the next 5 questions were to assess attitude of health workers. Results: In the present study, among 520 (100%) health workers, all health workers responded that teeth are important and that it is important to take care of your teeth and 441 (84.8%) health workers said that they were not afraid of dental treatment, 456 (87.7%) said that they believed that dental caries is a disease and 494 (95.5%) said that they know that consuming too much sweet food causes dental caries. Conclusion: Oral health knowledge and attitude of health workers was found to be moderate. These health workers can serve as a valuable tool for population-based health promotion approaches in achieving health for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Advanced Oral Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)