Awareness about dental specialities and treatment procedures in dental hospital situated in north kolkata: a survey based study

Aim: To determine public awareness of various dental specialties and associated treatments in a tertiary dental teaching institute in North Kolkata. Materials and Methods: A 30-item self-administered questionnaire was initially drafted in English and underwent content validation by two dental experts from different specialties. The questionnaire was then translated into Bengali and Hindi by bilingual translators, ensuring accuracy and consistency and back translated for validation. After obtaining ethical approval, the questionnaire was administered among 301 patients respectively knowing their language proficiency. The questionnaire was divided into 10 sections covering demographics (age, gender, qualification) in section A and questions from section B to section J as general dentistry, restorative dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, aesthetics, oral pathology, oral surgery and pedodontics respectively. Data was then collected, tabulated, and analyzed statistically. Statistical Analysis: The collected data was imported into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 27. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages, and bar graphs. Results: The results showed that 49.8% of the population under study are aware about Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, 47.5% of the population are aware of dental filling as a procedure to treat a cavity and 57.5% of population came for dental checkup to prevent cavities and gum diseases. Conclusion: Increased awareness of dental specialties can lead to appropriate management and improve the overall perception of dental care. This study highlights the need for this.