Prevalence of social myths and taboos related to dental health among general population of Rawalpindi - Pakistan

It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2010 to explore various misconceptions and taboos about dental health to see their prevalence in the community and to assess their effects on general dental health. The survey was carried out using convenient sampling technique of 300 adults. A Questionnaire in Urdu language consisting of ten close-ended questions regarding most common myths related to dental health in the community was used. SPSS version 16 was used for data analysis. Most of the respondents were found strong believers of various myths irrespective of their qualification level. The results of this study shows that general population of Rawalpindi believes in various myths regarding teeth and their health which results in poor dental health. This might be due to lack of knowledge about the dentition, dental health and its importance