ABSTRACT
Prevention of oral and dental diseases is dependent on people's awareness about oral hygiene. Considering the important role of health workers in improving the people's awareness and encouraging them to follow oral hygiene, in this study, the levels of knowledge, attitude and practice of health workers in regard to oral health were determined. This descriptive cross sectional study was done to collect the data from all health workers of the southern regions of Kerman province in 2009 [n=511] using a researcher- made questionnaire consisting of four parts of demographic features, and questions for the evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice. Chi-square test, t-independent test and Pearson coefficient of correlation were used for data analysis. The mean score of knowledge was 11.3 +/- 2.83 out of 20, mean attitude score was 42.26 +/- 5.58 out of 55 and mean practice score was 8.85 +/- 1.81 out of 21. Overall 13.3% of subjects had good knowledge and 24.4% had positive attitudes. None of the participants attained a desirable score in practice. Knowledge and attitude showed a significant relationships with sex, educational level, age and job experience [p<0.05]. Women had significantly higher knowledge and attitude scores than men. Knowledge and attitude also had positive relationship with educational level, but had a reverse relationship with age and job experience. Majority of respondents had moderate knowledge and poor practice. Considering the reverse relationship of knowledge with age and job experience, it seems continuous educational programs using new methods and experienced experts are necessary