AbstractIntroduction: Oral health, as perceived by an individual, is determined by his culture, socio-economic status and personal conceptions. It’s imperative that long held fallacies regarding oral health be impoverished to achieve optimal oral health status. Aim: The aim of this paper was to corroborate the ideology of an educated and aware individual, as his oral health condition that propagates him to visit a dentist. Materials and Methods: An online survey was conducted using a self-structured questionnaire and 215 credible responses were included. Results: The study revealed that a majority of the sample did not have regular dental visits, and absence of symptoms led to the misconception that dental check-ups were not required. Amongst symptoms, unaesthetic appearance (86.5%) was an affirmative primary factor which was deemed as a reason enough to seek help, followed by bleeding gums (57.7%) and tooth pain (55.8%). Conclusion: This study has revealed that despite having a progressive mindset, accessibility to facilities, and being aware of consequences of its negligence, people tend to relegate their oral health avoiding precautionary measures. Reforms need to be inculcated by the health agencies to improve the national oral health status.
Keywords: Dental visit; Individual perception; Oral health.