Comparison of clinical dentistry students' knowledge and attitudes about obstructive sleep apnea syndrome before and after extra-curricular education

Abstract

Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is difficult to detect when dentists or dentistry students are not well-trained on this subject. Including this topic in the dental curriculum may help students with diagnosing patients who have OSA. Objectives: This cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the changes in the knowledge and attitudes of clinical dentistry students at Atatürk University, Turkey about OSA before and after education about this topic. Materials and methods: In this study, 227 participants were asked to reply OSAKA questionnaire consisting of 23 questions (18 knowledge questions and 5 attitude evaluation questions) before and after the lesson about OSA. Obtained data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Spearman analyses. The statistical significance level was set at α < 0.05. Results: The mean knowledge score was 4.91 before the lesson and 13.0 after the class. Overall, correct answer rates increased significantly (p = 0.010) as well. Conclusion: Participants' knowledge about OSA increased and their attitudes became more positive after the lesson. Pre-graduate training may increase dentistry students’ knowledge scores and improve their attitudes regarding OSA.