Rakan Saifuddin Shaheen, Abdulrahman Abdulrazzaq , Ali Al-Hokal , Faisal Al-Sulaiman,
Mohammed Al-Khininy, Abdullah Al-Rabiah, Abdullatif Al-Zayer

ABSTRACT

Aim-To evaluate the knowledge and awareness of senior (fourth, fifth, and sixth year) dental students on the effect of various drugs on periodontal health. Material and Methods-A questionnaire to assess the knowledge and awareness of the effect of various drugs on the periodontal health was distributed electronically to a convenience sample of senior (fourth, fifth, and sixth year) dental students in Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy. Data was analysed using SPSS and association between the variables was performed using Chi-square test. Results-A total of 225 students completed the questionnaire. An overview of the students correct answers to the questions on the various drugs and their effect on the periodontium revealed 48% of the students answered “Increase the bleeding on probing” when asked about Aspirin and 22.8% answered “Reduce the periodontal inflammation” when asked about Ibuprofen. However, there was no statistically significant association between different variables. Conclusion-The curriculum of the dental school should highlight the importance of knowing the side effects and benefits of the drugs and relate them to the students future dental training. The students should get more exposure to elderly and medically compromised patients in their clinical practice.