Evaluation of dent-o-myths among adult population living in a rural region of Andhra Pradesh, India: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context: Even though dentistry is one of the very highly developed fields among the medical sciences, false traditional beliefs and nonscientific knowledge may seed myths that create hindrance in the recognition of scientific and modern dental treatments, thereby acting as a barrier against the utilization of oral health-care facilities. Aims: The present study was an attempt to evaluate various dental myths prevailing in a rural population. Settings and Design: The study sample comprised of 305 subjects aged 18 years and above, acquired from six randomly chosen villages of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out to assess the various dental myths. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using chi-square and multinomial logistic regression tests in SPSS version 20. Results: The mean age of the study population was 38.03 ΁ 15.15 years, 57.4% of whom were males and 42.6% females. Of the subjects, 58.7% felt that deciduous teeth did not need any treatment procedures as they would be exfoliated anyway; 40% of those who had never visited a dentist before felt that extraction of the upper teeth affected eye vision. Of individuals aged 18-39 years, 47.6% believed that cleaning with salt made teeth white and shiny. Only a few (3.9%) believed absolutely no dental myths, whereas most (96.1%) believed one myth or another. Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that dental myths are still prevalent and that they need to be addressed to achieve optimal dental health.

Keywords

• Dental myths
• false traditional beliefs
• nonscientific knowledge
• oral misconceptions
• taboos