Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Diabetic Patients about Periodontal Disease in BushehrC in 2015-16

Background: Despite the high prevalence of periodontal disease in diabetic patients and well-known oral complications of diabetes, there is a notable lack of information among diabetic patients about harmful periodontal consequences of their disease. Also there is a gap in research in the assessment of the association between these two disorders in Bushehr city. This research was conducted to investigate the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic patients about periodontal disease. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out by using a questionnaire among the volunteers. The selection criteria included diabetic patients above 40 years of age (n=150), with diabetic type 1 or 2, controlled or uncontrolled diabetes regardless of taking medications. The eligible participants required to have at least 10 teeth. and final participants were selected randomly. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions, including five questions about the knowledge, eight questions in regard to the attitude, and six questions regarding the practice. Reaming questions asked about the demographic information. Data collected from the questionnaires were coded and analyzed using SPSS 18 software Results: 51.30% of diabetic patients had a good level of knowledge and 62% had a good attitude level. Also, 44.70% of participants had a poor level of practice. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude, knowledge and practice and attitude and practice. Conclusion: This study indicated that more than half of diabetic patients in Bushehr city had a good level of knowledge and attitude but their practice level was poor. Therefore, the intervention approaches are required to put more emphasis on improving patients’ practice level