KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE PRACTICE ON CARIES STATUS AMONG BLACKSMITHS

INTRODUCTION: Dental caries is considered a major public health problem globally due to its high prevalence and significant social impact. Dental caries, otherwise known as tooth decay, is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of people worldwide; individuals are susceptible to this disease throughout their lifetime. Oral diseases have been a persistent public health problem globally, with almost every individual experiencing poor oral health at least once in their lifetime.A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects from iron or steel by the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Survey instrument used in this study was a pretested questionnaire comprising 11 questions evaluating the and awareness levels of the respondence on caries status. A Convient survey of 50 Blacksmiths in Shakthivel steel industry near Poonamalle were included in this study. The responses obtained were tabulated. RESULTS: Among the population 60% smoked or tobacco chewing, 75%drinking as a habit. About 80% had toothaches. Most of the population know that they had caries and felt that dental treatments are expensive and thus were not interested in going for caries management. CONCLUSION: The knowledge and awareness on oral hygiene status among blacksmiths is not satisfactory. It can be concluded that there should be knowledge provided to this strata of society since they are not fully aware of oral hygiene.