DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs2216336 ORIGINAL ARTICLE 36 P J M H S Vol. 16, No. 03, MAR 2022 Awareness and Practices of Patients Regarding Oral Hygiene Visiting Dental OPD Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore AQIB SOHAIL 1 , ANEELA AMJAD 2 , MARIA JABBAR 3 , MEHWISH MUNAWAR 4 , AMNA NAUMAN 5 , NIGHAT ZAHID 6 1 Principal/Dean and HOD Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. 2 Associate Professor, of Oral Medicine and Diagnostics, Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. 3 Dental Surgeon 4 Assistant Professor of Operative Dentistry, Azra Naheed Dental College, Lahore 5 Professor of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore. 6 Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lahore Medical and dental College, Lahore. Correspondence to Dr Aneela Amjad Email: aneelaamjad.aa@gmail.com, Phone: 03004234903 ABSTRACT Background: Oral cavity related disorders are a serious public health issue because they have a direct influence on the person’s quality of life and add load to healthcare setup. The current study was done to assess the oral hygiene knowledge and routine followed by the habitants of Lahore city. Aim: To assess the oral health awareness, and practices in patients coming dental OPD Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore Methodology: This study was conducted among participants coming dental OPD of Sharif Medical and Dental College, Lahore from March to August 2021. A questionnaire was given to all visited patients. The patients from both rural as well as urban background were selected. Results: The outcomes of the study revealed 35% people brush their teeth and 15% use miswak for cleaning, 5% use charcoal while 40% are not bothered about oral hygiene and hence do not clean their teeth at all. Majority of the subjects (80%) go to the dentist in case any dental issue occurs. Conclusion: There is absence of oral health awareness, inadequate knowledge of oral cleanliness practices and their outcome on general wellbeing. There is an imperative necessity for elaborated awareness plans to encourage healthy oral health among general population. Keywords: Awareness, practice, oral hygiene. INTRODUCTION Oral health is now considered to be equally significant as systemic health. The oral cavity reflects the general health as being the “mirror” and gateway to the body. Knowledge related to oral health must begin with understanding the dynamics of oral cavity. Oral health is not only strong teeth influencing people physically and psychologically, but has influence on their development, function, communication, appearance, and socialization 1 . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Promotion of oral health is a cost-effective strategy to minimize the burden of oral ailment and sustain oral wellbeing and standard of life”. Oral disorders are a serious community wellbeing issue because of the increased incidence and their impact on the person’s quality of life. Gingival problems, tooth decay, maligned teeth, and cancerous conditions are included in the top predominant oral diseases that involve the population worldwide (2). A significant number of above mentioned problems can be controlled at personal and at population stage by explaining the significance of good oral health; that in turn will result a change in oral health approach and practices at community level. For instance, correct brushing technique is vital for maintaining the health of oral cavity and gums efficiently. It aids in keeping the esthetics and function of dentition. For better understanding and treatment of diseases related to oral cavity, it is important to identify the causative factors involved in the etiology. To deliver better health services, it is mandatory to be aware of the traditions being followed and practices of the community you are dealing with 3 . As majority of the population belonging to low privileged countries cannot have direct approach to dental services and other elements as having low earnings and being uneducated, still the main associated causes remain absence of oral hygiene knowledge along with fabricated society opinions 14 . Oral health must be way beyond flawless dentition and absence of halitosis. Maintaining ideal oral hygiene is not only important for good overall health and relief from the pain and misery related with oral disease; it also improves self-worth, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Received on 05-11-2021 Accepted on 03-03-2022 quality of life, and efficiency at personal or professional level 4 . Even after the introduction of several oral wellbeing activities being initiated by official and personal level organizations, oral health situations of community remains at risk which is directly linked with knowledge, attitude and awareness of population towards oral health 5 . Proper understanding of oral hygiene should be vital for behaviors linked with health, though mere relationship exist between knowledge and behavior in cross- sectional studies, nonetheless studies revealed there is an link between knowledge and better oral health 6 . While numerous studies have been conducted frequently to evaluate the knowledge and behavior of people about oral health, there is still a lack of education concerning the same especially for rural people 13 . This study will help us to identify the absence of awareness and poor practices associated with oral hygiene being carried out at community level. So that we can implement suitable developments in term of oral health awareness programs to improve the overall oral hygiene at the community level. METHODS AND MATERIALS It is a cross sectional descriptive hospital setting study. Sample size was calculated using online calculator keeping confidence level 95%, precision value 0.05 and anticipated population was 0.75 10 . The study was conducted on 289 patients visiting dental OPD from March to October 2021. All subjects were selected by using non-probability convenient sampling technique and interviewed on a structured close ended questionnaire. Inclusion Criteria: Patients above 15 years of age irrespective of gender Exclusion Criteria: Patients suffering from maxillofacial trauma and patients having dental emergencies Data Collection Procedure: After approval of proposal from the ethics committee of Sharif Medical and Dental College, a pre- validated questionnaire from reference study with reliability score of 0.719 was used 13 . The questionnaire had 12 questions. The question 1-6 were pertaining to awareness and question 7-12 were used to assess practices. The questionnaire was filled by qualified