Knowledge, Attitude and Practice with Regard to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea - A Survey among Dental Clinicians

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed. It has been observed that sleep disorders aren't given adequate importance in dental education. This survey was conducted to access the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental clinicians regarding OSA. METHODS A study was carried out using a 33-item questionnaire that assessed the knowledge of OSA; 2 questions regarding the attitude and practice of OSA amongst dental clinicians along with 1 question on the source of information about OSA. The questions related to knowledge covered OSA-related risk factors, symptoms, complications and treatment of OSA. The survey was passed on via social media. RESULTS 111 subjects participated in the survey. Participants showed poor knowledge regarding diabetes mellitus as a complication (7.2 %), increased age as a predisposing factor (22.5 %), nocturia as a symptom (15.3 %) and alcohol restriction as a line of treatment (34 %) for OSA. Chi-square test suggests that comparison of knowledge with experience for cardiovascular disease (CVS) disorders as complications and age & snoring as predisposing factors shows statistical significance for better knowledge of the experience group of 6 - 10 years. Other knowledge scores were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS The descriptive data suggests that the dental clinicians in this study were informed regarding the knowledge associated with sleep apnoea. The knowledge scores when compared with the years of experience showed that there was statistical significance regarding knowledge of cardiovascular disease as a complication of OSA and age over 45 years & snoring as a predisposing factor for OSA. The chi-square test indicated that the experience group of 6 - 10 years had better knowledge than the other groups. Although there is no statistical significance in comparison with the other knowledge factors when compared to the years of experience, this could be suggestive of lack of awareness of OSA in the dental curriculum as well as lack of resources such as continued dental education and seminars for updating the knowledge on OSA for practicing dentists.