International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) Volume 4 Issue 4, June 2020 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470 @ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD31553 | Volume – 4 | Issue – 4 | May-June 2020 Page 1403 A Survey on Acquaintance, Orientation and Behavior of Medical Practitioners toward Periodontal Diseases in Naroda Area of Ahmedabad: A Questionnaire Study Dr. Tanusha Sharma 1 , Dr. Charu Agrawal 2 , Dr. Hiral Parikh 3 1 Consultant Periodontist, 2 Professor, 3 Professor & HOD 1 Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India 2,3 Narsinhbhai Patel Dental College & Hospital, Visnagar, Gujarat, India ABSTRACT Background: Periodontics is a fast evolving dental specialty. But periodontics is still seen to be nascent among different health professionals. Aim: To assess Acquaintance, Orientation And Behavior Of Medical Practitioners Toward Periodontal Diseases in Naroda Area of Ahmedabad. Methodology: A cross sectional survey using a self-administered, structured questionnaire was conducted on 200 medical practitioners Naroda Area of Ahmedabad. They were randomly selected. Ethical committee clearance was taken from the institute. Data were analyzed through percentages and chi square statistical analysis was performed. Results: Most of them have knowledge regarding the signs and symptoms of periodontal disease. However, majority of them are unaware about dental specialist referral and association with systemic disease. Most of them refers the patient to general dentist. The p value calculated was <0.0001. The results are significant p< 0.05 their orientation and behaviour was significant but when questions asked about periodontal disease the results were not significant. Comparison of responses (rightly answered) among the study subject were analyzed by computerized SPSS (version 20). Level of significance was set at P < 0.05.The chi square test was found to be non- significant. They had limited knowledge about the association between periodontal health and general health. Conclusion: Acquaintance, Orientation And Behavior Of Medical Practitioners Toward Periodontal Diseases was found inadequate among medical practitioners in Naroda Area of Ahmedabad. Periodontal educational program is strongly recommended. KEYWORDS: Acquaintance, Orientation, Behavior, Periodontal Diseases, Medical practitioners How to cite this paper: Dr. Tanusha Sharma | Dr. Charu Agrawal | Dr. Hiral Parikh "A Survey on Acquaintance, Orientation and Behavior of Medical Practitioners toward Periodontal Diseases in Naroda Area of Ahmedabad: A Questionnaire Study" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-4, June 2020, pp.1403-1407, URL: www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd31553.pdf Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development Journal. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0) INTRODUCTION Good oral health is an essential part of general health; however, there is a widespread perception that oral diseases are limited to the scope of dental practice 1 . The surgeon general’s report 2 recognizes ‘‘the mouth as a mirror of health or disease, as a guard or ward of warning, and as a potential source of pathogens affecting other systems.’’ thus Medical practitioners are important in helping with periodontal health promotion. 2 Oral health problems are frequently overshadowed by other health needs, which are perceived to be more obvious and urgent. The term "periodontal diseases" is a nonspecific term that refers to any disease or disease process that affects the periodontium 3 . The prevalence of periodontitis in India is reaching epidemic proportions with serious implications for general health. 4 Of late, periodontal disease is thought to have systemic ramifications and has been implicated in a wide range of conditions such as hypertension, stroke, atherosclerosis, poor pregnancy outcome, to name a few. It is expected that health-care providers will see and refer these patients to dentists in greater numbers 5 . Many studies are carried out to evaluate the awareness of patients who visit the hospitals. There are very few studies addressing periodontal awareness in various healthcare professionals. Hence, evaluating medical doctors’ Acquaintance, Orientation And Behavior will assist in providing appropriate level of continuing-education programs and assessment for efficacy. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the views and knowledge of medical doctors on association between periodontal disease and general health and their willingness to advise their patients to seek dental treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Source of data This survey was conducted among general practitioners in Naroda Area of Ahmedabad. A total of 200 doctors participated in this study in the month of February - April, 2017. The study was approved by the ethical committee of IJTSRD31553