Awareness of periodontitis and its relationship with systemic health among undergraduate medical students at a teaching hospital in Nepal: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease primarily caused by bacterial plaque, but may be affected by the host immune response, diabetes, inadequate nutrition, smoking and stress. The systemic implications of periodontitis, particularly its associations with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory infections, highlight the importance of medical students acquiring in-depth insight into this condition. This knowledge is essential for promoting both oral and general health in the public. OBJECTIVE: To assess the awareness of periodontitis and its relationship with systemic health among undergraduate medical students at a teaching hospital in Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to assess awareness of periodontitis and its relationship with systemic health. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3rd-, 4th-, and final-year medical students and interns at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, from January 2024 to March 2024. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics in SPSS version 27. RESULTS: A total of 218 participants were included in the study with a mean age of 24.03 +/- 1.85 years. The majority (76.1%) of the students were male. Approximately 95.9% (209) of the participants had heard of term periodontitis. The majority of participants identified bad breath (83.5%), gum recession (78.4%), bleeding gums (85.3%), and loose teeth (71.1%) as symptoms of periodontitis, with more than 80% correctly recognizing gum recession in all groups except for 3rd-year students (52.8%). The majority of the students were aware of the risk factors associated with periodontitis. CONCLUSION: There was a notable gap in the recognition of symptoms, risk factors, and systemic links related to periodontitis among 3rd year students compared with 4th year, final year students and interns. This highlights the need for improved education on the topic among 3rd and 4th year medical students.