ABSTRACT
Background : In India, the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) of 1986 was enacted for better protection of the interests of consumer grievances. It was on 13th November 1995 that the honorable supreme court of India delivered judgment on application of consumer protection act, 1986 to the medical/dental profession. The dental profession has come under pressure due to globalization and liberalization; therefore, now is the time to think well and to set our priorities right, both individually and collectively. Hence, this study aims to assess the awareness of Consumer Protection Act among private dental practitioners in Bangalore city. Objectives: To assess the awareness of COPRA among private dental practitioners in Bangalore city and to associate this awareness with gender, duration of practice, degree of the practitioner and type of practice. Materials and methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among private dental practitioners in Bangalore city. A total of 355 private dental practitioners were surveyed. The questionnaire comprised of 21 questions about the awareness of consumer protection act. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: A total of 66.8% reported to be aware of consumer protection act. Amongst them, dentists with MDS degree showed more awareness as compared to dentists with only BDS degree. Male dentists are more aware compared to females. Dentists with less than 5 years of experience are more aware than the ones with longer years of experience. Conclusion: Considering the present scenario, private dental practitioners with MDS degree are more aware of consumer protection act as compared to BDS. We must upgrade our knowledge on consumer protection act at all levels of our profession.
KEYWORDS:Private dental practitioners, Awareness, Consumer Protection Act