A pre - post knowledge comparison of students before & after exposure to a module on ‘applications of nanotechnology in dentistry’ at a dental college in kerala

Introduction: Nanotechnology is a field of applied science which deals with the control of matter on the molecular level in scales smaller than 1μm. Dentistry is not exempt from this revolutionary technical advance in science.
Aim: The aim of this Pre-post knowledge assessment was to evaluate change in awareness on applications of nanotechnology in dentistry of Final BDS students at a Dental College after exposure to a module in applications of nanotechnology in dentistry.
Materials and Method: A questionnaire with 10 closed-ended questions on nanotechnology and five open-ended questions on demographics was devised and distributed. After initial assessment, an intervention in the form of a 1hour module on nanotechnology and its applications in Dentistry were presented. Following the presentation, post knowledge assessment forms were distributed and the completed forms collected. The data obtained was students converted and entered into excel sheets and statistical analysis done.
Result: The mean pre and post test score of 30 student’s was3.27 and 8.6 respectively.
Conclusion: This study revealed that there was lack of awareness on applications of Nanotechnology in dentistry among the Final BDS students at a Dental College as evidenced by the pre-test scores. In the post knowledge assessment, there was a definite improvement in knowledge of the applications of nanotechnology in dentistry. Therefore, this study is just one step in the direction to emphasize on the need of realizing importance of imparting knowledge about applications of nanotechnology in dentistry.