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Introduction: Majority of India’s population resides in rural areas. They are unable to access quality health care due to the shortage of qualified health professionals in rural areas. Various reasons contribute to the shortage, which include poor living facilities for the family, no financial progress, and lack of opportunities for developing clinical skill. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the perception and attitude of dental interns toward serving in rural areas. Materials and Methods: A total of 77 graduating interns were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire. The questionnaire included their career preferences on graduating and reasons for their choice, respondent perceptions about working in rural areas. Results: About 50.6% of the interns were aspiring for postgraduation seats. Seventeen interns (22.1%) were satisfied with the existing health services in Tamil Nadu and 61 interns (79.2%) would like to serve in rural areas. Only 8 (13.1%) interns wanted to settle permanently in rural areas and serve rural people. The major reason for willingness in rural areas was less stressful work (50.8%) followed by serving needy people (45.9%). The major reasons for not willing to serve in rural areas were no living facilities, no clinical infrastructure, and lack of incentives and promotions. Conclusion: Since very few students were willing to work permanently in rural areas, educational programs in colleges should be conducted to raise awareness among the students about the existing rural health services and motivate them to serves in rural health sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes and practices of dentists from Chennai with respect to their roles in tobacco cessation counseling and to identify the barriers. Method of Investigation: Survey design was used to conduct the study. Multistage sampling method was adapted to select the participants. In Stage 1, cluster sampling was used to select the practicing dentist in Chennai city. In Stage 2, simple random sampling was used to select a subset of dentist covering Chennai city. A total of 250 dentists of Chennai city were selected for the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was given to them and the responses were recorded. The questionnaire comprised demographic details and 13-item questionnaire related to attitudes, practices, and barriers among dentists for tobacco cessation counseling. Results: A total of 200 questionnaires were returned with the response rate of 80%. Of 200 respondents, 160 (80%) were male dentists and 40 (20%) were female dentists. Age of dentists varied from 25 to 48 years, with the mean age of 34.2 ± 7.3 years. Most of the dentists strongly believed that it is their responsibility to educate the patients regarding tobacco cessation counseling. The lack of proper training was found to be the major barrier for tobacco cessation counseling among dentist. Conclusion: Dentist has a positive attitude for tobacco cessation counseling, but lack of proper training is a significant barrier for their failure. Hence, dentists should be given proper orientation and training toward tobacco cessation counseling during their curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dental implants placement has a high rate of success due to which it is a widely accepted treatment option for treating edentulism. Even though not all dentists wish to be trained or are trained to provide implant-based treatment, it is necessary for all of them to receive sufficient training to inform patients of the advantages and disadvantages of implant treatment. Hence, the aim of the study was to assess the attitude and perception of dental students and alumni toward implant course in undergraduate curriculum. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive survey. A customized questionnaire was administered to 100 dental students and 100 alumni of the college regarding the perception toward implant course in undergraduate curriculum. Results: Data were analyzed using counts and percentages. The study constituted of 20% of male and 80% of female students and 40% of male and 60% of female alumni. Appropriate academic year to include implant course in undergraduate program according to the students was internship whereas for the alumni was postgraduation. Conclusion: The undergraduate syllabus must be revised and sufficient training regarding dental implant placement must be provided to the students so that they can provide information about the pros and cons of placing implants to the patients and also to make them confident enough to deal with implant cases in their clinical set up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oral health is the mirror of general health. Medical practitioners should possess basic dental knowledge for early detection of signs and symptoms of dental diseases in patients, to provide appropriate treatment or advice to these patients and to act as public health educators. Many studies have shown that lack of knowledge among medical students regarding dental diseases. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate oral health awareness, attitude, and practice among medical students. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 medical interns were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding oral health. Results: Knowledge regarding oral health among the students was positive, but attitude and practice were negative. About 93.3% of the students were aware that the main cause of dental caries was sugar and bacteria. About 40% of the students visited a dentist only when they had pain. About 70.8% of the students cleaned their teeth twice daily. All the participants used toothpaste and toothbrush to clean their teeth (100%). Majority of the participants (47%) changed their toothbrush once in every 3–6 months and 59% consumed sugar frequently. Conclusion: The better result among medical students could be due to their better knowledge and socioeconomic conditions. More awareness should be created among general population to improve the oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]