Evaluating the use of Audio-Visual Aids in Knowledge Gained among Patients Visiting a Dental College in Greater Noida

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: It is an important part of dentistry to inform and educate the patient about the dental procedure he/she is about to undergo and there are three main methods viz. audio, visual and audio-visual.
AIM: To assess the knowledge gained through dental health education in a randomly assigned group before and after undergoing a Dental Procedure.
METHODOLOGY: A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study and were given a 12 item standardised questionnaire (pre-validated, pre-tested, responses based on likert scale) to assess their knowledge prior to the provision of oral health related knowledge. After this, they received an audio-visual based explanation (laptop presentation, model based and verbal explanation of the undergoing procedure and were again given a 21 item questionnaire to assess the changes in knowledge gained by the patients. Data was tabulated and the Chi Square test and Spearman’s Correlation were applied to find out significant associations, if any. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21.0.
RESULTS: Post-explanation, significant differences were seen in knowledge gained (p=.024, r=.70) by the patients.
CONCLUSION: Dentists are advised to use audio-visual aids for imparting knowledge regarding the dental procedure as it makes the patient more comfortable while undergoing the procedure.