Assessing the ability of house surgeons in screening and diagnosis of periodontal diseases – A cross sectional study

Introduction: Diagnosis of periodontal problems in dental colleges are mostly done by the interns and may not be timely diagnosed. The aim of the present study is to assess the knowledge and diagnosis of periodontal disease pathogenesis by the interns of various dental colleges from the southern most states of India. Materials and Method: 780 participants from 30 dental colleges in South India filled a structured questionnaire consisting of 15 knowledge and 10 practice based questions related to periodontal disease. The variables such as period of internship (0-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 months) and working status in private dental clinics were recorded. The mean total knowledge and practice scores were calculated and statistical significance was based on probability values of less than 0.05. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the knowledge and practice scores among the interns according to their duration of internship (p<0.001, p<0.002 respectively). When the knowledge and practice scores were correlated with the working status, the non working interns had better knowledge scores when compared to the working interns (p<0.001). The knowledge scores were more in the interns during the period of 4-6 months and the practice score were more during 0-3 months. Conclusion: During the last phase of internship, students showed a decrease in scores of knowledge and practice pertaining to periodontal diagnosis and treatment plan. Hence a short refreshing seminar/course on periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning topics could be recommended to reinforce and facilitate them as good clinicians in future.