Introduction: Oral health which is crucial for overall well-being, involves maintaining good oral hygiene to prevent diseases. Despite global progress, gaps persist, particularly in developing countries, leading to an increased prevalence of oral diseases. Factors such as oral health awareness, access, cultural beliefs, and dental phobia impact oral health. Similarly, oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices have been reported to play vital roles.
Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices, related to the oral health of adults in Benin City, Edo State.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of adults presenting at a dental outreach programme in three conveniently selected local government areas (Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo, and Egor) of Benin City, Edo State. Data generated from this study was analysed using the IBM® SPSS® statistics version 25 software. Descriptive data were presented as frequencies and percentages; tables were utilized for clarity. The mean percentage of oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices were categorized as follows: poor (< 50.00%), fair (50.00% – 69.99%), and good (≥ 70.00%). The level of significance, α, was set at 0.05.
Results: A total of 198 respondents aged 18 – 74 were investigated while attending a dental outreach programme. The mean percentage of oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices among the respondents was 57.5%, 83.1%, and 55.0% respectively.
Conclusion: This study assessed respondents’ oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices, revealing fair knowledge and practices but good attitudes. There are notable gaps, particularly in oral hygiene knowledge and practices. The positive attitudes recorded in the present study provide a scaffold for effective oral health promotion.