Personal perspective about dentistry and dental treatment among the Palestinian population

Abstract

Background: Dental health largely affects the general health. The general population should be well aware about the recent advances in dental care to make informed choices on the dental procedures. Aim: To assess the personal perspective about dentistry and dental treatment among the Palestinian population. Materials and Methods: All the patients attending the teaching clinic at Al-Quds University in Palestine were included in the study. Questionnaires were given in local language as well as English assessing patients' awareness on the dental health, basic and advanced dental procedures. Frequency was calculated for all variables. Result: 106 participants were included in the present study. Most of the participants visited the dentist only when in pain and had very limited knowledge about oral hygiene procedures. Participants were aware about the basic dental procedures like teeth cleaning and whitening. However, for the choice of type of prosthesis for missing teeth and knowledge on advanced dental procedures like lasers they depend on their dental practitioner. Chi-square test shows no significant correlation between the two variables. Conclusion: Patients should be educated about the importance of dental health and dental professionals should educate them on the newer dental procedures.