Periodontitis Awareness Amongst the General Public: A Critical Systematic Review to Identify Gaps of Knowledge

Abstract

The number of available community-based investigations on periodontal knowledge is scarce and restricted to areas with a very high level of human development. Gaps of knowledge exist in every geographic area, with the most relevant issues of low awareness and poor knowledge about the etiology of periodontal diseases and their relation with systemic disorders. These results highlight the need for local, community-based investigations about periodontal knowledge and barriers hampering early diagnosis, as well as for adequate educational interventions focused on these issues.

Primary care physicians and nurses: Targets for basic periodontal education

“…Layperson's periodontal awareness in our study is low, as 52.9% did not know the mere existence of periodontitis. Although similar results have been reported worldwide, our sample compares unfavorably with similar studies undertaken in Colombia (33.7%), Nigeria (36.75%), or Germany (15.6%) …”

“…In this sense, patients’ periodontal awareness may play a key role in achieving this goal. Unfortunately, periodontal awareness of the general population seems to be low worldwide and important gaps of knowledge have been identified in every community‐based report published so far …”

Psychometric properties of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief‐IPQ) in periodontal diseases

“…For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to increase the patient's ability to recognize PDs' symptomatology and guarantee their diagnosis understanding. This recognition capacity and the consequent valorization of the disease are of particular importance for a positive outcome in the control and treatment of the disease (Karlsson, Lymer, & Hakeberg, ; Varela‐Centelles et al, ).…”

Regular dental attendance and periodontal health knowledge: A cross‐sectional survey

“…Bearing in mind the reported low level of knowledge of periodontal health elicited by laypersons (Varela‐Centelles et al, ), together with the gaps observed for physicians and nurses (Varela‐Centelles et al, ), and combined with the high prevalence of periodontal disorders (Albandar & Rams, ), dental clinics should be expected to be the cornerstone of patient periodontal education. A pilot study on general dental practitioners found they perceived useful the participation of the entire dental team in educating patients on periodontal risk factors (Raidi, Thornley, & Thornley, ).…”