A STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF MYTHS RELATED TO DENTAL HEALTH CARE AMONG THE POPULATION OF DISTRICT LUCKNOW

Introduction: Today we believe that our society is very well aware of dentist, dentistry and its principles, but this crude traveling has its marks left in the minds of our society, and these exist in the form of myths. Aim & Objectives: The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of myths related to dental healthcare among the population of district Lucknow. It was done by finding the prevalence of myths related to dental healthcare among Urban and Rural population of district Lucknow and also comparing both the population. Material & Method: A total number of 687 individuals were interviewed out of which 408 were male and 279 were female, with a questionnaire containing a set of nine close-ended multiple choice questions, to facilitate data analysis avoid ambiguity. Results: Among various myths associated with tooth extraction, the myth that tooth extraction ?weakens eyesight? was most common (71.2%) followed by ?should not be done during rainy season? (68.1%), ?consumption of certain contraindicated items causes inflammation in gums? (51.7%), ?restriction on intake of certain food items? (42.9%), ?affecting hearing? (13.5%), affecting brain (12.1%) and causing hair fall (13.1%). For each of the items related with tooth extraction a high proportion of respondents (2.9% to 18.9%) did not reflect any opinion. Conclusion: The findings of present study showed that prevalence of dental myths was more common in underprivileged population, particularly women from lower socioeconomic strata. These findings indicated the need for a community initiative. Keeping in view the modifiable nature of myths, mass awareness campaigns using mass media, particularly audio-visual media are recommended apart from holding dental checkup camps in less privileged urban and rural areas.