Knowledge and Practice on Oral Health among Diabetic Patients

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem in Bangladesh. Several studies have shown that diabetic patients are at a greater risk of developing oral health problems. To improve the oral health among diabetic patients, it is of absolute importance to raise the existing level of knowledge and practice. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and practice of diabetic patients on oral health. This cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected 120 adult diabetic patients (18 years and above) receiving treatment at outpatient department of two upazila health complexes and two diabetic centers in two upazilas of Tangail district, Bangladesh. The study period was from 1st January to 31st December 2019. Data were collected by face-to-face interview with a semi-structured questionnaire. Among diabetic patients, female was 52.5%, mean age was 51.34 ± 10.166 years, 25.68 % had primary level education, 32% were housewife, 93.3% were Muslim and 50.8% had monthly family income within 1000-15000 Bangladeshi taka. Among the patients, 18.3% had poor knowledge, 16.7% had average knowledge and 65% had good knowledge on oral health. On the other hand, 53.3%. 39.2% and 7.5% of respondents had poor, average and good level on oral health practice, respectively. There was statistical significance (P < .05) among participants’ sex, education, occupation and marital status, and level of knowledge and practice. In addition, there was strong association (P < .05) between level of practice and participants’ monthly family income. This study showed that level of knowledge of diabetic patients on oral health was good but the level of practice on oral health was poor. Therefore, there is scope to take more interventions for enhancing oral health practices among the diabetic patients