Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior among Dental & Medical Students of Kabul University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Objective The study's goal was to find out how much dentistry and medical students at Kabul University of Medical Sciences knew about oral health, as well as their attitudes and behavior toward dental health and oral hygiene routines.Materials and Methods From September 2022 to December 2022, cross-sectional research was conducted at Kabul University of Medical Sciences. A total of 496 dentistry and medical students (312 females + 184 males) aged 18–25 years old from 5 colleges of health and medical related disciplines were addressed. All participants were given a thorough questionnaire with 30 amended items modified from Peterson et al. and Stenberg et al.Results 44.5% of the participants brushed their teeth twice per day, 41.3% once per day, and 9.31% more than twice per day, while just 4.7% cleaned their teeth less than once per day. Surprisingly, the majority of participants (91%) were aware of the significance of routine dental visits which 51.3% of participants reported visiting the dentist frequently even while they experienced pain. 94% of students had the opinion that brushing teeth prevents dental decay. 93% of them agreed that using of fluoride strengthens teeth and 96% polled that sweets are bad for teeth.Conclusions Oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behavior is associated with the individual subject’s educational level. Females are more concerned about their oral health than males. And for having better oral hygiene, there is need for educational programs for public.