[Level of knowledge about periodontal disease among university students in health and other fields. A cross-sectional study].

Introduction: Periodontal disease (PD), which includes conditions such as gingivitis and periodontitis, affects between 20% and 50% of the global population and is one of the leading causes of tooth loss. This condition compromises functions such as mastication, aesthetics, and overall quality of life. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge about periodontal disease among university students from health and non-health programs at a private university in Peru. Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 388 students (192 from health-related programs and 196 from non-health-related programs). A self-administered 15-item questionnaire was used to assess knowledge in three areas: periodontal health (7 items), oral hygiene (4 items), and sociodemographic data (4 items). The validity of the instrument was supported by a KMO index of 0.65 and a significant Bartlett's sphericity test (p<0.001). Reliability was determined using McDonald's omega coefficient (0.615). Statistical analysis included Chi-square tests and multiple linear regression, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 53.6% of participants reported brushing their teeth three times a day, with this practice being more common among non-health students (p<0.001). Regarding knowledge of PD, 72.7% demonstrated a low level of knowledge, with no significant differences by sex (p=0.39) or academic area (p=0.29). Only 1% exhibited a high level of knowledge. Conclusion: The evaluated university students showed a low level of knowledge about periodontal disease, highlighting the need to integrate oral health content into university curricula in a cross-cutting and multidisciplinary manner.