Impact of Educational Program on the Knowledge of COTPA Laws Among Undergraduate Students in a Tertiary Dental Setting, Pune: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Introduction Dentists have a critical role to play in the successful implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) since tobacco-consuming patients consult dentists most actively. Hence, the aim of the study was to assess the impact educational intervention on the knowledge of COTPA among dental students. Materials and methods A quasi-experimental, questionnaire-based study was conducted on 433 dental students. The baseline knowledge on COTPA was assessed followed by a 1-h educational session on the COTPA laws. The evaluation of the knowledge acquired was done 2 weeks post-educational session. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results Television (40.45%) was the main source from where the students received the information regarding the COTPA laws. At baseline, 84.5% of the students had poor knowledge about COTPA laws ( p < .001). Post-intervention, 69% of the students had good knowledge about the COTPA laws ( p < .001). No significant difference was found between males and females at baseline ( p = .544) and post-intervention, respectively ( p = .741). Conclusion Awareness among dental students regarding COTPA laws is poor, and a health education intervention is effective in increasing their awareness. The inclusion of COTPA laws in dental curriculum as well as regular CDE programs and workshops on tobacco control must be encouraged.