| Popis: |
INTRODUCTION Evidence in the literature have confirmed the link between periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus. Diabetes aggravate the periodontal disease progression, while periodontitis have a negative effect to the glycaemic control of the body. Medical practitioners, particularly those in primary care play an important role in relaying the important dynamics of these two diseases. The objectives of this study are to investigate the level of awareness, knowledge, attitude, practices and to identify the barriers of medical practitioners in their management of diabetic patients with periodontitis in Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia. METHODS A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 549 medical practitioners of MOH’s primary care clinics in Kedah, Terengganu, Johor and Negeri Sembilan. Statistical analyses were done using descriptive, simple logistic analysis. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. RESULTS & DISCUSSION The majority of the respondents were female (75.8%), aged 40 years old below (87%). Over three-quarter (83.2%) had less than 10 years of working experience. Almost all of the respondents were aware of the increased risk for an uncontrolled diabetic for periodontitis (94.3%). The level of awareness was found to be statistically significant with age, gender and perceived oral health status (p CONCLUSION The awareness, knowledge and attitude of the medical practitioners regarding periodontal disease in diabetics of these four states were acceptable. However, the low referral pattern did not reflect their awareness. Future health promotion effort should consider in emphasizing on the important link of these two debilitating disease. |
