2026-04-21T06:10:14Z https://www.peertechzpublications.org/oai-pmh

oai:www.peertechzpublications.org:10.17352/2394-8418.000127 2024-02-17 PTZ.JDPS:VOL11

Comparison of clinical dentistry students' knowledge and attitudes about obstructive sleep apnea syndrome before and after extra-curricular education Zeynep Sen Yilmaz Merve KöseoğluFunda Bayindir<p>Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is difficult to detect when dentists or dentistry students are not well-trained on this subject. Including this topic in the dental curriculum may help students with diagnosing patients who have OSA.</p><p>Objectives: This cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the changes in the knowledge and attitudes of clinical dentistry students at Atatürk University, Turkey about OSA before and after education about this topic.</p><p>Materials and methods: In this study, 227 participants were asked to reply OSAKA questionnaire consisting of 23 questions (18 knowledge questions and 5 attitude evaluation questions) before and after the lesson about OSA. Obtained data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Spearman analyses. The statistical significance level was set at α &lt; 0.05.</p><p>Results: The mean knowledge score was 4.91 before the lesson and 13.0 after the class. Overall, correct answer rates increased significantly (p = 0.010) as well.</p><p>Conclusion: Participants' knowledge about OSA increased and their attitudes became more positive after the lesson. Pre-graduate training may increase dentistry students’ knowledge scores and improve their attitudes regarding OSA.</p> Journal of Dental Problems and Solutions - Peertechz Publications 2024-02-17 Research Article https://doi.org/10.17352/2394-8418.000127 en Copyright © Zeynep Sen Yilmaz et al.