Dent-O-Myths Amid Young Community: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The word ‘Myth’ is derived from the Greek word “Mythos”, meaning the stories passed by a group of certain population having a strong impact on seeking general and dental treatment even during illness. AIM: The aim of this study was to access the prevalence of dental myths among the young population and to interpret their level of knowledge, awareness and perception. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 500 young population of age between 18-28 years between May to August 2020, COVID-19 pandemic period. A pretested validated questionnaire was formatted on Google forms and circulated in various social media platforms. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 22.66±2.38 years, and 59% were females and 41% were males. About 65% (325) and 56% (280) of the study subjects believed correctly that mouthwash alone will not maintain oral health and chewing gum will not clean their teeth, respectively. When asked about their responses in case of pain in oral cavity, most people 46% (230) reported they would visit a dentist and major segment of study subjects 56% (281) believed that there can be more methods for treating oral pain other than the extraction of the tooth itself.CONCLUSION: The result of this study revealed that the younger population are more aware and didn’t believe much regarding various dental myths.