AWARENESS OF TYPES OF DENTAL PROSTHESIS AMONG INDIAN POPULATION

Abstract

A cross-sectional survey was formulated for the general population of India. This survey aimed to evaluate the awareness about the types of dental prosthesis among Indian population. 310 volunteers participated in this study between May to June of 2019. These diverse volunteers were selected based on social media using a snowball sampling method. A validated questionnaire consisting of 22 close ended questions intended to solicit the level of participants' knowledge concerning various types of dental prosthesis was circulated using online social media. The questions were graded using ‘bipolar scaling method’ or ‘even scale method’. The responses were collected using web protocol forms that enabled quick and secure access to data. It was found that the general population had the basic knowledge about the types of prosthesis but only 53.9% of the population knew about the implant supported dentures, the knowledge about the maxillofacial prosthesis was very poor among the population. It could be due to low literacy level, low socioeconomic status of the participants and general indifference of their appearance. This study revealed that there was a general lack of knowledge on types of prosthesis. The study also revealed the need for specialists in this field to spread awareness and relevant information concerning types of dental prosthesis among the general public.