Dental professional's perspective regarding knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards the importance of charting dental anomalies: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The presence of dental anomalies could play a significant role in the identification of individuals by comparing antemortem and postmortem data. This crosssectional study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and awareness among dental professionals regarding the importance of charting dental anomalies and maintaining dental records. Methodology: A self-structured questionnaire was e-mailed to dental professionals practicing in India. The responses were recorded, data tabulated, and one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests were applied for analysis. The criterion for significance was p < .05. Results: A total of 406 dental professionals responded to the survey. A significant difference was observed in the mean attitude score of participants towards the importance of charting dental anomalies and maintaining dental records with regard to place of work (p=.001), gender (p=.044) and educational qualification (p=.039). In addition, a statistically significant difference was observed in the mean awareness score of participants with respect to place of work (p=.033) and gender (p=.001). The major barriers in maintaining dental records were lack of time, adequate knowledge, infrastructure, and financial constraints. Conclusion: 81.3% and 69.26% study participants had very good awareness and attitude, whereas 71.2% had good knowledge regarding the importance of charting dental anomalies and maintenance of dental records; however, their inaccurate responses in anomaly identification hinted towards the need for proper dental charting and their maintenance to be taught en masse and made part of the BDS curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]