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Updated: Jan 18, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Knowledge, Attitude, Awareness, and Practice Regarding the Use of Interdental Aids Among Dental Professionals and
Huda H Mohamed1, Hana M Ghaith1, Sara Mohamed A M Bogazia2
1Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, LBY.
Introduction:
Interdental aids are necessary to effectively clean between the teeth by removing biofilms. Students and professionals play a crucial role in oral health promotion. Their attitude, knowledge, and behavior indicate how well they take care of their teeth and motivate patients to follow good oral health habits. The aim of this study was to assess dental professionals' and students' knowledge, attitude, awareness, and practice regarding the use of interdental aids and also to identify whether dental education helps to increase their knowledge, attitude, and practice about the use of interdental aids.
Methods:
An online survey using a 15-item questionnaire with four sections was carried out. This was performed using Google Forms to assess the knowledge and use of interdental aids by 237 Libyan dental students and professionals.
Results:
The respondents included 174 female respondents (73.4%), and 127 of them (53.6%) were aged between 20 and 30 years. Most participants were practicing in Benghazi (152; 64.1%) and represented all educational levels, from first-year students to PhD graduates. A total of 225 subjects (94.9%) knew about interdental aids. The specialist and postgraduate groups showed significantly higher identification of health benefits compared to the younger groups (p = 0.005).
Conclusions:
Overall awareness and knowledge of interdental aids were high and increased with the level of education but also had gaps, especially among less experienced trainees. During dental education and professional development, special education programs can promote the use of standardized and efficient interdental hygiene procedures and improve the oral health of their patients.
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