International Healthcare Research Journal 2020;4(1):10-14. INTRODUCTION Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are unstable in nature as they contain oxygen and that easily reacts with other molecules of a human cell. A build-up of ROS in cells can cause extensive damage to DNA, RNA, and proteins, which may lead to cell death. 1,2 Sources of free radicals include pollutants, metal ions, high intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids, drugs, smoking and radiation. These may lead to cell damage resulting in inducement of cancer, neurological diseases, diabetes, vascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, lung cancer, aging and eye diseases. 3 The presence of an increased number of free radicals leads to “oxidative stress” which affects the oral mucosa in the form of gingivitis and periodontitis. The other factors which can lead to oxidative stress in an individual are dental procedures, bleaching agents, dental cements, exposure to nicotine, alcohol consumption, composite fillings and metals used in dentistry. 4 Various studies 5-7 prove the thoery that antioxidants play major role in the prevention of oral cancer as well as premalignant lesions (Leukoplakia, OSMF, Lichen Planus, etc) and can help delay the onset of cancer. A study showing the effect of Lycopene, a commonly used antioxidant in oral cancer has proved that high doses of Lycopene (8mg/day) are useful in improvement of oral health. 8-9 Despite aiding in the prevention of dental diseases, antioxidants are seldom prescribed in dental practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the perception of dental practitioners of Northern and Central India regarding the role of antioxidants in oral health. MATERIALS AND METHOD The present collected data using an online forms created using google forms and was distributed to various dental practitioners in Northern and Central India using both random and chain-link referral (snowball) sampling from July 2019- November 2019. Firstly, dentists were selected at random and then they were asked to further suggest the names of their colleagues who would like to participate in the study. Dental Practitioners and their Perceptions Regarding the Use of Antioxidants in the Promotion of Oral Health ORIGINAL RESEARCH A B S T R A C T ISSN: 2456-8090 (online) DOI: https://doi.org/10.26440/IHRJ/0401.04337 NADIA KHAN 1 , ANAM KHAN* 2 , BURSHIDA KHALID 2 , GAURI SHARMA 2 INTRODUCTION: The role of free radicals is well established as a crucial component of the immune system. AIM: To assess the perception of dental practitioners of Northern and Central India regarding the role of antioxidants in oral health. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A pre-tested and pre-validated online questionnaire was distributed among various dental practitioners in Northern and Central India which consisted of dichotomous responses. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, followed by the Chi square test to check significant differences between the responses. Correlation between responses were analysed through the Spearman’s rank correlation. Statistical analysis was done using S tatistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 (SPSS 20). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed among the genders, with females 126 (43.7%) having lesser knowledge than males 162(56.3%) regarding the use of antioxidants in their clinical practice. High knowledge scores were observed in 288 (69.2%) dental professionals. Postgraduates were found to have (p=0.05) a higher level of knowledge as compared to graduates. CONCLUSION: The use of antioxidants in dentistry should be increased through the conduction of various CDE programmes. workshops and evidence-based practice guidelines. KEYWORDS: Antioxidants, Free Radicals, Oral Health, Oral Cancer QR CODE © Nadia Khan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY-NC 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the use is not commercial and the original author(s) and source are cited. 10