Assessment of Oral Care after Oral Health Education in Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common chronic endocrine disorder of the 21st century with serious health consequences. DM is a significant systemic risk factor for oral diseases. Oral complications of DM can be irreversible and devastating. The awareness among diabetic patients regarding oral diseases and their complications is low. Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the cognizance of diabetic patients regarding associated oral health conditions using a prequestionnaire, educate them, and assess their education after 1 month using a postquestionnaire. Methodology: A customized questionnaire was developed and given to 160 known DM patients who signed the consent form and were willing to participate in the research, through which data were collected before and after educating DM patients. Results: The data collected from the questionnaires were compiled, statistical analysis was done in SPSS Statistical software, and qualitative data were summarized in frequencies and percentages. The Fisher’s exact test was performed to analyze the oral hygiene practices for pre- and post-survey data. Conclusion: After health education, 100% of the participants knew that DM causes oral health problems, and 100% were aware of periodic follow-ups. This implies that the oral health behavior of the patients can be further improved by continuous motivation by the dental health-care providers over oral health education.