AWARENESS ON ORAL HEALTH AMONG AYURVEDHA AND SIDDHA PRACTITIONERS IN CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU – A QUESTIONAIRRE STUDY

The aim of this study is to find out the awareness on oral health among Ayurvedha and Siddha practitioners in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A cross-sectional survey was performed among a sample of 102 Ayurvedha and Siddha practitioners in Chennai, and data regarding their awareness of oral health were obtained using a closed-ended questionnaire. The SPSS software version 17 was employed to find the frequency distribution among the variables. Among the 102 Ayurvedha and Siddha practitioners approached, 94.1% of the respondents knew the reason for the occurrence of dental caries. Around 76.5% responded that fluoride in toothpaste can prevent dental caries, but only 58.8% of them had advised their patients to use fluoride-containing toothpastes. A total of 89.2% knew that oral health was related to systemic diseases. About 92.2% responded that they informed the patients about the importance of oral hygiene and also about smoking and tobacco-related oral diseases. Majority of them (99%) thought that Ayurvedha/Siddha medicine could cure oral diseases, with halitosis (40.2%) as the most common dental finding. Many of them (94.1%) responded that they had oral health as a part of their syllabus. Around 89.2% referred their patients to the dentists and also most of them (98%) thought that they need further information about prevention of oral diseases. Ayurvedha and Siddha practitioners already have substantial amount of oral health knowledge, and they are keen to expand their knowledge. Patients regularly ask for their advice on both general and oral health care issues, and there is a definitive need for interdisciplinary symposia/lectures/conferences and providing them with access to information on available dental services