Vishal Karera, Rizwan Nadim, Asma Naz.
Knowledge Perception And Attitudes Of Dental Undergraduate And Postgraduate Towards Obesity.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;37(1):99-104.

Obesity is a growing public health problem. Little is known about dental undergraduates and postgraduates’ knowledge, perception and attitude regarding people who are obese. To evaluate the knowledge, perception and attitudes of undergraduates and postgraduates students towards obesity admitted in Dow Dental College, Karachi. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Dow Dental College. Total sample size calculated was 146,out of which 46 were postgraduate and 100 were under graduate (1st year and 2nd year). House officers and oral hygienists were excluded from the study. Convenience sampling method was used. A self-administrated questionnaire was made to collect the data which consisted of 20 questions (statements) related to the student’s knowledge, perception and practice towards obese patients. Statistically significant difference was found between undergraduates and postgraduates students with statements such as “obesity is associated with serious medical conditions, learning about obesity in dental school, necessary to assess patients dietary habits (p=0.05), (p=0.00), (p=0.02) and (p=0.00) respectively. Many postgraduates had negative attitudes towards obese patients than undergraduate students. Majority of the undergraduate students were interested in learning about obesity in dental school which indicates inclusion of obesity education in the dental curriculum. Counseling should be conducted for these postgraduate students who are practitioners in order to instill positive attitudes in them toward obesity patients.

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