Determinants of preventive oral health behaviour among senior dental students in Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundTo study the association between oral health behaviour of senior dental students in Nigeria and their gender, age, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to 179 senior dental students in the six dental schools in Nigeria. The questionnaire obtained information on age, gender, oral self-care, knowledge of preventive dental care and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Attending a dental clinic for check-up by a dentist or a classmate within the last year was defined as preventive care use. Students who performed oral self-care and attended dental clinic for check-ups were noted to have complied with recommended oral self-care. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses.ResultsMore male respondents agreed that the use of fluoride toothpaste was more important than the tooth brushing technique for caries prevention (P < 0.001). While the use of dental floss was very low (7.3%), more females were more likely to report using dental floss (p=0.03). Older students were also more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care (p<0.001). In binary regression models, respondents who were younger (p=0.04) and those with higher knowledge of preventive dental care (p=0.008) were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.ConclusionGender differences in the awareness of the superiority of using fluoridated toothpaste over brushing in caries prevention; and in the use of dental floss were observed. While older students were more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care measures, younger students with good knowledge of preventive dental care were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.

Evaluation of Oral Hygiene Awareness, Oral Health Practices and Dental Health Problems among the Undergraduate Medical Students of India

“…16 In our study, 23.46% students responded as using fluoridated toothpaste, which is less in comparison with the study carried out by Folayan et al (95%). 17 Possible reason for this finding could be that the study by Folayan et al 17 included dental students, so naturally they are more aware about the benefit of fluoridated toothpaste. Therefore, medical students should be made aware of the importance of fluoridated dentifrices for good oral health.…”

Determinants of oral self-care in the Brazilian adult population: a national cross-sectional study

“…In the field of oral health, the recognition and analysis of the process of acquiring individual autonomy is under construction, and studies predominantly show an association between oral self-care and isolated factors. 7,8,9,10,11 The literature points out that appropriate oral health depends on maintaining certain practices, including periodic dental visits, 12,13,14,15 tooth brushing frequency, 7,10,12,16,17 toothbrush replacement frequency, 17,18 dental flossing, and use of auxiliary techniques, 7,12,17,19 and that all these factors together represent oral selfcare. However, the studies usually evaluate oral selfcare in a segmented manner, relating it specifically to dental flossing, toothbrushing or regular visits to the dentist.…”

Oral Hygiene Attitude and Behavior of Dental Students in a Government College, India

“…3 The oral hygiene attitude and behavior of dental health professionals affect their oral self-care habits along with their ability to motivate patients to undertake preventive oral health measures. 4 The HU-DBI was used in this study. 5,6 This study was conducted to assess the oral health attitudes and behaviors among preclinical dental students in a Government Dental College, Srinagar, India.…”