Background: Poor awareness of periodontal diseases and their consequences has been reported as the most frequent reason for periodontal treatment failure on a community basis. This study aims to identify the most relevant gaps of knowledge about periodontal diseases among the general public and to disclose whether these gaps are culturally consistent.
Methods: Systematic searches were conducted of the EMBASE, PubMed, and SciELO databases (1998 to November 2014). The search strategy was "periodontitis OR periodontal disease" and "knowledge OR awareness" as keywords and free text. Papers were included if they reported on community-based, quantitative studies undertaken on adult individuals.
Results: A total of 2,330 references were identified (1,567 single papers), and six papers were finally selected. Raw data were grouped into nine dimensions of periodontal knowledge: 1) awareness; 2) etiology; 3) associated risks; 4) signs and symptoms; 5) risk factors; 6) treatment; 7) general knowledge; 8) prevention; and 9) attitudes. This classification recognized disease awareness (80%), etiology (75%), and periodontal-related risks (71.43%) as the most important knowledge deficits among the general public. These findings were confirmed by weighted data analysis.
Conclusions: The number of available community-based investigations on periodontal knowledge is scarce and restricted to areas with a very high level of human development. Gaps of knowledge exist in every geographic area, with the most relevant issues of low awareness and poor knowledge about the etiology of periodontal diseases and their relation with systemic disorders. These results highlight the need for local, community-based investigations about periodontal knowledge and barriers hampering early diagnosis, as well as for adequate educational interventions focused on these issues.
Keywords: Health knowledge, attitudes, and practice; health promotion; periodontal diseases; periodontits; population; review.