Impact of Knowledge Level of Qatari People towards Oral Health

AbstractBackground: Oral care, hygiene and cleaning is influenced by the knowledge and perception of the Qatari people towards the impor-tance of oral hygiene and cleaning. The choice of oral cleaning methods is also characterized by the level of dental knowledge of the people. This is first study on oral health knowledge of Qatari adult.Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge of Qatari people towards oral health and oral hygiene.Materials and Methods: The quantitative research study has been conducted on sample of Qatari population on the basis of the non-probability convenience sampling technique. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 859 Qatari adults, aged between 18 and 72 years to evaluate their oral health knowledge. The data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, Chi-square test and analysis of residual test.Results: Of the study revealed that people with lower knowledge level prefer home remedies for oral cleaning, show lesser frequency of tooth brushing and avoid visits to dental appointments and clinics. Whereas people with higher knowledge level shows higher frequency of tooth brushing and regular visits to dental clinics for oral flossing and cleaning.Conclusion: It can be concluded that people with higher dental knowledge level are more responsible and cautious and show posi-tive oral health behavior. Therefore, it is recommended that increasing dental knowledge level of Qatari people can decrease the rate of periodontal diseases in Qatar.