KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING GREEN DENTISTRY AMONGST THE ALUMNI OF A PRIVATE DENTAL COLLEGE IN PUNE, MAHARASHTRA - A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDYPriti Dargad, Sahana Hegde Shetiya and Dipti AgarwalAbstract Greendentistry is an upcoming practice which aims to reduce the environmental liabilities of a dental office. It is defined as a practice that reduces waste and pollution, saves energy and money, incorporates high tech innovations and is wellness based. To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding green dentistry, amongst the alumni of a dental college in Pune. A questionnaire study was conducted amongst 900 graduates and post graduates of the dental college through an e-survey using google forms. A questionnaire was formulated after extensive literature search which was followed by validation, reliability testing and pilot testing among 30 participants. Statistical analysis used: Numbers and Percentages were computed for the responses and Chi square test was used for between group comparisons based on demographic variables. 310 dentists replied to the questionnaire. More than 60% participants had knowledge about waste disposal, eco-friendly sterilization, hazardous spill kits whereas less than 40% correctly answered about energy efficiency. Many participants agreed that environmental problems are something one can personally do a lot about and individuals should take lead in addressing them. 95.5% were registered with a biomedical waste disposal service. Practices like recycling reading material and using energy efficient appliances were relatively better than adequate disposal practices for fixer. The results suggest that the attitude towards environmentally responsible dental practice was relatively better than the knowledge and practice regarding the same. Increasing exposure to eco-friendly practices could help reduce the environmental burden of dentistry. |