Knowledge, Attitude and Awareness Among Dental Practitioners on Herpetic Neuritis

Abstract

Herpetic neuritis is a painful condition that affects the nerve fibers and skin. It is a complication of shingles.It is the reemergence of the varicella zoster virus, or chickenpox virus, which has been dormant in the sensory dorsal root ganglia of the nervous system since childhood infection. These viral infections which occur in the oral mucosa are frequently encountered in general practice. The clinical diagnosis of these lesions can sometimes be confusing due to their similar clinical presentations. Therefore the main aim of this study is to determine the knowledge,awareness and management practices of herpetic neuritis in a dental clinical setup among dental practitioners.To analyse the awareness of herpetic neuritis among dental practitioners. This study was conducted as an online survey based on the awareness of herpetic neuritis among dental practitioners with the help of a survey planet . A Total of 100 dental practitioners were randomly enrolled in the study and voluntarily completed a questionnaire consisting of 10 close – ended questions data was collected and analysed. The results were demonstrated in the form of pie charts. About 96% of the participants were aware about the various diagnostic aids and management practices of herpetic neuritis patients and they have an overview upon the ways to implement them in their clinical practice. The knowledge and awareness among dentists about herpetic neuritis patients in a clinical setup is adequate and some of dentists had a negative attitude towards the management practices.