KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE ABOUT ORAL HEALTH MAINTENANCE AMONG WOMEN IN SHELTER HOME: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective:
 To assess the knowledge about oral hygiene and practice of oral health maintenance among women of shelter home. 
 Materials and Methods:
 This was a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire(5) written in English and validated through a pilot study. Data collection was done from women of shelter home in five visits and total duration of study was 6 months (January-June 2021). All the participants were explained the nature and purpose of the study. Total number of 92 Women responded. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20.
 Results:
 Majority of the participants had knowledge about oral health(99%) knowledge regarding consequences of poor oral hygiene was (90%) and its effect on general health (93%) .knowledge related to inter dental aids was (6.5%). The second section showed oral health behavior and the attitudes of the participants: majority responded to practicing cleaning their teeth (99%), in which only 58% clean once daily and 54% uses tooth paste/brush. About 87% of the respondents had bleeding gums. Similarly 84% had halitosis and experienced symptoms of gingivitis Only 11% of the participants used mouth washes, visiting a dentist when having a problem was 81%. The third section was related to habits / addiction : majority were addicted to tea/coffee 86%, while frequency of intake 2-5 cup daily.
 Conclusion:
 Women of shelter home have satisfactory knowledge about oral health but putting it into practice is not optimistic. There is need to improve their oral health through organized efforts and establishing a good oral health care system within the shelter home.