Knowledge, awareness and behaviour regarding vitamin D levels among dental students in South India: a cross-sectional survey

A multicentric online cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental students from various dental colleges in South India from March 2024 to January 2025. Demographic characteristics included age, sex, and current academic year followed by lifestyle characteristics like type of diet, duration and time exposure to direct sunlight on a working day, use of a cloth barrier or scarf or umbrella (yes / no), use of sunscreen (yes / no). Also, multiple questions were designed to assess the knowledge of the individual vitamin D levels. They were “Have you ever been asked to check your vitamin D levels?” (yes / no), and “Have you ever checked your vitamin D levels?” (yes / no). “If yes, do you know your current vitamin D levels? (yes / no)”, “When was the last assessment of vitamin D levels?”, “How much was the current vitamin D levels?” and “knowledge of acceptable levels of vitamin D (yes / no)”. Additionally, information on the awareness related to vitamin D supplements (yes/no), type of vitamin D supplements (Daily tablets / weekly tablets / Injections / multivitamin supplements / fortified milk / health drinks / others), and “Have you been prescribed vitamin D supplements based on your levels? (yes / no)” were also assessed