Knowledge and Awareness of the Association Between Periodontitis, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Pancreatic Cancer: A Comparative Study Among Dental and Medical Postgraduate Students
Cross-sectional study assesses awareness of periodontal links to GI disorders and pancreatic cancer among students, suggesting gaps in knowledge.
Key Points
This study aims to evaluate awareness and knowledge of the correlation between periodontal disease and systemic conditions among postgraduate students.
Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted with 202 postgraduate students (108 dental, 94 medical) in Maharashtra.
Data analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test, with significance set at p < 0.05.
An 18-close-ended questionnaire assessed demographic details, awareness, and knowledge of periodontal disease associations.
Medical postgraduates showed significantly higher awareness of systemic implications of periodontal disease (4.37 ± 3.09 vs 5.48 ± 2.41, p < 0.001).
Knowledge scores between the two groups were comparable (3.79 ± 1.34 vs 4.23 ± 1.90, p = 0.058).
Limited awareness of the association between periodontal disease and GI cancers was noted in both groups.