Awareness of Immunosuppressant Drugs among Dental Students - A Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Drugs to suppress the human immune response in cases of organ transplants and autoimmune disorders have been used for more than half a century. Such agents are essential for treating patients who have received organ transplants or suffer from autoimmune diseases. The main drawback to the early immunosuppressive agents was their lack of specificity. As the understanding of immune system response at the cellular and molecular levels evolved, newer and more specific agents were developed that targeted particular components and elements of the immune response. While these newer immunosuppressive agents are not without potential adverse effects, their efficacy and safety have improved greatly when compared to earlier agents. Therapeutic guidance for the clinician is needed to handle those drugs. In dentistry, care should be taken for patients on immunosuppressive drugs. Hence knowledge about immunosuppressive drugs is needed to be known by the dental practitioners also to provide a proper treatment that benefits the patient. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey among 100 dental students pursuing the final year and internship in Chennai city. A self-assessed questionnaire containing 10 questions eliciting information about the knowledge of immunosuppressive drugs were framed. The responses obtained from the participants were compiled, processed further, and analyzed. Various studies were referred to gain more knowledge to improvise the study. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge of students about immunosuppressant drugs.95.0% of the students knew about immunosuppressant drugs This study concluded that knowledge about immunosuppressive drugs is adequate. Dental awareness programs or lectures if arranged to address this concern may give additional knowledge and so as to ease their practices and pave more comfort for the patient.