Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral health in the Salvadoran population

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health in the Salvadoran population in the year 2022. Materials and methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study, carried out in public health centers, churches, NGOs, among others, through an interview questionnaire with 15 questions on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to oral health. Results: A total of 1,150 Salvadorans from 18 to more than 60 years of age were surveyed, of which 92.34 % had knowledge about dental caries, almost 100% knew that dental floss is used to clean between the teeth and 54.4 % responded that fluoride is used to protect the teeth. Regarding attitudes, 96.35 % responded that it is important to visit the dentist, 75.13 % consider it important to perform dental hygiene and 77.3 % responded that it is important to take care of the teeth to have good general dental health. Among the practices, 49.04 % brush 3 times a day. A high percentage of respondents do not use mouthwash (44.26 %) or dental floss (43.91 %). 86.7 % reported eating between meals. Conclusion: The knowledge and attitudes of the Salvadoran population about oral health can be considered good, however, practices do not reflect this, so there is a need to educate patients about oral health problems and preventive oral health methods.