Awareness of prebiotics and probiotics in oral lesions among dental postgraduates -A questionnaire-based study

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Prebiotics and probiotics are essential for improving overall health. Pre- and probiotics are becoming more popular in oral care products. Also, in recent years, oral medicine has been provided to them. The study's objective is to assess dental postgraduates' attitudes, knowledge, and awareness of prebiotics and probiotics for oral lesions.   Materials and Methods: A set of 20 questions related to the definition, mechanism of action, safety consideration, health benefits, and sources, and four questions to assess their attitude and practice about probiotics and prebiotics in oral lesions addressing a total number of 183 dental postgraduates were selected. Google form questionnaires were shared, and responses were received. The obtained data were statistically analyzed.   Results: Of the 183 dental postgraduates 91.3% of the dental postgraduates were aware of the use of probiotics and prebiotics in oral lesions while 92.2% were willing to prescribe them to their patients and consider them to be safe and used as an adjuvant in the management of oral lesions. Results showed limited knowledge and awareness of probiotics and prebiotics in the management of oral lesions among dental postgraduates.   Conclusion: The result indicated a lack of understanding of prebiotics and probiotics in the treatment of oral lesions. It is possible to increase knowledge of prebiotics and probiotics in oral lesions through seminars, current lectures, and including the subject in the curricula of aspiring professionals, among other methods.