Knowledge and attitudes of post-graduate dental students in Greece towards sleep disorders: A questionnaire-based study.

AIM: To assess sleep medicine and obstructive sleep apnea knowledge and management confidence among Greek dentists.

METHODS

Postgraduate dental students at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki completed the Assessment of Sleep Knowledge in Medical Education (ASKME) and the knowledge and attitudes towards obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) questionnaires (OSAKA) via an online survey from May to December 2022.

RESULTS

The response rate was 77.1%, yielding 168 respondents (mean age 30.5 years; 50% female). Master's candidates accounted for 83% (n=140) and PhD candidates for 17% (n=28). The mean ASKME score was 13.9 ± 5.2, with 79.2% answering fewer than 60% of items correctly. The mean OSAKA knowledge score was 10.9 ± 4.2; half scored below 60%. Although all recognized OSA's clinical importance, 70.8% reported low confidence in managing it.

CONCLUSION

Greek postgraduate dental students exhibit limited sleep medicine knowledge and low OSA management confidence. Incorporating structured sleep medicine education into dental training is essential.