Dental health behaviour in relation to caries status among medical and dental undergraduate students of Udaipur district, India

Novel behavioral model in evaluating initiation and sustenance of teeth brushing behavior among students pursuing health sciences: a cross-sectional study

Background: Oral hygiene maintenance is a crucial and integral feature in determining the overall wellbeing of a person. It has been established that interventions for health promotion at the public health level derived from theoretical models based on social and behavioural sciences have a superior effectiveness as compared to the ones without a theoretical background. Hence a novel behavioral model known as the multi-theory model (MTM) was used to understand two important aspects of health behavior change: (i) Initiation and (ii) Sustenance in twice daily teeth brushing in a university setting with objectives to identify factors effecting MTM in initiation and sustenance of twice daily brushing behavior among students pursuing health sciences and correlating the MTM theory with socio-demographic and behavioral patterns.

Methods: The study is an analytical cross-sectional study. Students pursuing Medicine and Dentistry in a University setting were included. A validated questionnaire was designed for this study. Questions were framed to evaluate the constructs of initiation and sustenance of MTM, personality, sleeping habits and demographic corelates of participants. Multiple means between the groups were compared using analysis of variance and a post hoc test. Correlation was established between different domains, the items were then entered for hierarchical multiple regression.

Results: Of the 235 participants in the study, 229 completed the questionnaire. There was a significant association between brushing quartiles, professional streams (p<0.001) and academic performance (p<0.001). The hierarchical multiple regression revealed that at stage one, behavioral confidence contributed significantly to the regression model (F (1,227) = 33.227, p<0.001) and accounted for 12.4% of the variation in twice daily brushing.

Conclusion: MTM is a good tool in predicting the initiation and sustenance of twice daily brushing behavior among young adults and can form a useful tool in assessing the patterns of brushing behavior in a population.

Oral Health-Related Risk Factors Among Students in Southeast Serbia

Background

An association between insufficient or irregular oral hygiene with the occurrence of dental caries, gingival/periodontal diseases, and consequently general diseases has been established.

The null hypothesis that there is no difference in the oral health status among students in a preclinical medical program and those who went through a clinical medical program was tested. The main objective of the study was to analyze oral health risk factors (oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behavior) as well as their impact on oral health by using convenience sampling.

Material/Methods

We investigated risk factors for oral health conditions by examining oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behaviors among the students in the medical program of the University of Niš, collecting data using questionnaires. The study included 396 students of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and vocational studies. Participants filled out the anonymous questionnaire.

Results

In both groups, parents were mostly employed, with the representation of employed fathers significantly higher in student group 1 (P<0.05), which is also the only statistically significant difference between the groups. In terms of oral hygiene practices, students were most often trained by parents (68.69%). A very high percentage of students brushed their teeth every day (97.22%), and 54.55% did this twice a day. Of the total number of students, 78.28% thought that it was necessary to use interdental brushes/floss/toothpick. The duration of teeth cleaning was 3 minutes in 39.39%, whereas 55.30% thought that it should be longer than 3 minutes. The most common brushing movements were combined movements and were used by 60.35% of all students. Of all students, 253 (63.89%) never smoked, 182 (49.96%) regularly went to the dentist, and 141 (35.61%) visited the dentist 6 months ago. The majority of students, 265 (66.92%), obtained the greatest amount of information about oral and tooth care from their dentist, which was the case in both age groups.

Conclusions

This study highlights oral health risk factors among students at the University of Niš. It is essential to determine their oral health knowledge, as it is of great significance both to patients and to students. Also, these students will be the major providers of health services and will be responsible for public oral health promotion. It could help in reformation of the oral health education program. The results of this research indicate that it is necessary to educate preclinical students to solve oral health issues.

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Postgraduate Students of Panjab University, Chandigarh: A Cross-sectional Study

Background

Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the most commonly occurring dental problems. Proper knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) of oral health of young adults will help in prevention of these diseases.

Aim

To comparatively evaluate the oral health KAPs related to oral health of postgraduate students of Panjab University, Chandigarh, with respect to gender and different departments.

Setting and design

A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire that assessed KAPs of postgraduate students, aged 17–25 years.

Materials and methods

This survey was undertaken on 600 postgraduate students of Panjab University, Chandigarh. The sample was divided into 3 groups: group I—arts students (n = 200), group II—science students (n = 200), and group III—commerce students (n = 200). Data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis.

Statistical analysis used

Chi-squared test was used for comparison between different groups. ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis compared the data between different departments, and Mann–Whitney U test between males and females.

Results

The students of arts had significantly lesser knowledge of oral health compared with other departments. About 65% arts students believed that sweets/soft drinks/chips were causing tooth decay compared with 83% science and 80% commerce students (p value < 0.001). About 52.5% arts students had knowledge that blood on the toothbrush was indicative of gum disease followed by 67% science and 76% commerce students (p value < 0.001).

Conclusion

In our study, there was no significant difference in gender with respect to KAPs of oral health but a significant difference was observed among different departments with arts students showing significantly lesser knowledge.

How to cite this article

Verma L, Passi S, Sharma U, et al. Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Postgraduate Students of Panjab University, Chandigarh: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(2):113–118.

The Effect of Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Periodontal Status among Dental Students

OBJECTIVES

 The primary aim of the current study is to relate oral health knowledge, attitude, and oral hygiene practice with the periodontal condition of both undergraduate and postgraduate dental students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Data were collected through a combination of self-reported questionnaire and clinical examination. The estimated sample size was 246. Probing depths and clinical attachment loss were measured in interproximal sites, whereas the gingival index was calculated based on Ramfjord teeth. The Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Periodontology classification was used for periodontal diagnosis. The subjects were divided into three groups. Group 1 was composed of undergraduate, preclinical dental students, group 2 consisted of undergraduate clinical-year dental students, whereas group 3 included postgraduate residents.

RESULTS

 A total of 296 dental students participated in this study. Significant differences were found among the groups in their oral health knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. Gingival disease was detected among most of the participants (99.2-100%) with significant differences between different educational levels (group 1 = 1.13, group 2 = 1.16, group 3 = 0.96, p-value = 0.001). Sixty percent of dental students were diagnosed with periodontal disease regardless of its severity. A positive correlation was established between oral health knowledge and attitude and oral hygiene practice. In addition, gingival inflammation severity and the severity of periodontal disease showed a positive correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

 This study highlighted the need to improve the oral health knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental students. Gingival and periodontal inflammation was highly prevalent among participants.

Efficiency of chewable toothbrush in reduction of dental plaque in students

Background

Besides classical and electrical toothbrushes market offers tooth brushes that can be chewed, like chewing gums. The aim of this study was to show the effectiveness of chewable toothbrush versus a conventional brush in the students’ population.

Methods

The prospective study included 346 students. For this research, we used a e-questionnaire for “smart” phones, that students completed outside the dental office. Respondents are divided into two groups: control group used conventional toothbrushes, respondents from the tested group used chewable toothbrush. For assessment of accumulation of the plaque we used TQHI index. For testing statistical hypotheses, the following were used: t-test for two independent samples and analysis of the variance of repeated measurements.

Results

Before brushing teeth, the average TQHI value for chewable brushes is 2.8 ± 0.3, while conventional is 2.7 ± 0.3, which is not a statistically significant difference (p = 0.448). After brushing teeth, the average TQHI value for chewable brushes is 2.0 ± 0.1, while conventional 2.0 ± 0.3, which is also not statistically significant (p = 0.729). Observing the index of the plaque values on the tooth surfaces in the upper jaw, in both groups, there was a statistically significant change in the amount of plaque in time (p < 0.001). There is a statistically significant interaction between groups and changes in the amount of plaque in the observed period (p = 0.013).

Conclusions

The fact that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of the tested brushes indicates the benefits of using chewable toothbrushes in order to reduce plaque, primarily in the inability to use conventional brushes.

Dental caries experience and determinants in young adults of the Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, North-West Russia: a cross-sectional study

Background

Little information exists about the experience of and risk factors for dental caries in young adults in Russia. We investigated dental caries experience and determinants in medical and dental students in North-West Russia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 442 medical and 309 dental undergraduate students of Russian nationality aged 18–25 years from the Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russia. Information on socio-demographic factors and oral health behaviour (regularity of dental visits, frequency of tooth-brushing, using toothpaste with fluoride, and skipping tooth-brushing) was obtained from a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Dental caries experience was based on the decayed (D) missing (M) filled (F) teeth (T) index and the Significant Caries (SiC) index, which were assessed through dental examination. Students with a DMFT index ≥9 were placed in the SiC group. Negative binomial hurdle and multivariable binary logistic regressions were used for statistical analyses.

Results

The prevalence of dental caries (DMFT >0) was 96.0%, overall mean DMFT index was 7.58 (DT: 0.61, MT: 0.12, and FT: 6.84), and the corresponding SiC index was 12.50. Age 21–25 years (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.18), being a female (IRR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01–1.20), high subjective socioeconomic status (SES) [IRR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02–1.21], and skipping tooth-brushing (IRR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.00–1.19) were associated with a higher DMFT index. DMFT index also increased among students who reported regular dental visits (IRR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.10–1.36), but their odds of being in the dental caries-free group decreased (odds ratio [OR] = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18–0.82). Significant predictors of being categorised to the SiC group were older age (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.03–1.92), high subjective SES (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.13–2.19), and regular dental visits (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.56–3.51).

Conclusions

A high prevalence of dental caries and high DMFT index, with a dominance of FT, were observed in our Russian medical and dental students. Age, sex, subjective SES, regular dental visits, and skipping tooth-brushing were determinants of dental caries experience.

Gender differences in oral health status and behavior of Greek dental students: A meta-analysis of 1981, 2000, and 2010 data

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status and behavior of Greek dental students over time, and to meta-analyze these findings to test the widely documented hypothesis that women have better oral health behavior, oral hygiene, and periodontal status but higher dental caries rates than men.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total sample of 385 students was examined using identical indices to assess oral health and behavioral data initially in 1981 while the years 2000 and 2010 were selected due to significant changes that took place in the dental curriculum in the 1990s and 2000s. Data by gender concerning the outcome variables recorded in every one of the three surveys were analyzed using Mantel-Haenszel and continuous outcomes methods.

RESULTS

A significant improvement in the oral health status and behavior of students was observed over time. The meta-analysis of data by gender showed that females brushed their teeth significantly more often than males [summary odds ratio (OR): 1.95 and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-3.54]. Males and females were found to have a similar risk of developing dental caries.

CONCLUSION

The hypothesis that young women have better oral hygiene habits compared to men was confirmed. However, the hypothesis that women have better oral hygiene and periodontal status but exhibit higher dental caries experience than men was not supported by the findings of the study.

Periodontal Health Condition and Associated Factors among University Students, Yemen

INTRODUCTION

Studies on oral health status among Yemeni population are scarce.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the periodontal health among advantaged section of Yemeni society, university students, in health and non-health fields.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Periodontal health status of a sample of 360 students from dental, medical and literature faculties (120 each with equal gender distribution) at Sana'a University was evaluated by two calibrated examiners using CPI index. Data regarding tooth-brushing practices and smoking and khat chewing habits were obtained using a structured interview questionnaire.

RESULTS

Only 45 students (12.5%) had healthy periodontium, while 113 (31.4%), 186 (51.7%) and 16 (4.4%) had bleeding, calculus and shallow pocket, respectively, with no significant differences between faculties. Females revealed significantly better periodontal health compared to males, though their bleeding score was higher. Dental and medical students and female students in general were significantly more interested in tooth-brushing and significantly less interested in practicing the deleterious habits such as smoking and khat chewing.

CONCLUSION

The overall periodontal health of Sana'a University students is still unsatisfactory even among students in health field. Females and students in health field revealed better periodontal health and oral health practices (tooth-brushing) in comparison to male students and those in non-health field. The negative effects of the highly prevalent smoking and khat chewing habits deserve further reliable researches and proper educational programs at the national level.

Determinants of dental health status and dental health behavior among Sana'a University students, Yemen

AIMS

To evaluate the dental health status and toothbrushing behavior among Sana'a University students, and to explore any associations with different factors.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, the dental health of 360 students from the dental, medical, and literature faculties (120 each) at Sana'a University were examined using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Data regarding study field, grade, toothbrushing behavior, parents' education, and smoking and khat chewing habits were recorded.

RESULTS

Nearly 76% of students (n = 273) reported regularly brushing their teeth. Excluding fathers' education levels and khat chewing, other factors (faculty, grade, sex, mothers' education, and smoking) were significant independent predictors for this behavior. The overall mean DMFT score (± standard deviation) was 4.13 ± 3.1, and was found to be adversely influenced by smoking, which explained only 1.1% of the variance. Toothbrushing, sex, and smoking were significant independent predictors for the decay score, and explained 10.6% of its variance. Khat chewing was found to be adversely associated with the missing score, with an influence of only 2.9%. The filling score was found to be positively associated with toothbrushing and study grade, which together had an influence of 10%.

CONCLUSIONS

The dental health and toothbrushing behaviors of Sana'a University students are unsatisfactory, and influenced unequally by different factors.

Oral health attitudes and behaviours of final-year dental students

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study of final-year dental students in 10 classes (1997, 2001-2009) were to examine their self-reported oral health attitudes and behaviours and describe any trends in these attributes.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Students were surveyed in final semester via an anonymous questionnaire (34 behaviour questions; eight attitude statements). Distributions, trends over time and attitude-behaviour associations were examined.

RESULTS

Of 583 students, 459 responded (79%). All tooth-brushed with fluoride toothpaste; 80% brushed ≥2/day. Overall, 85% flossed; over time flossing behaviour increased significantly (P < 0.05), and those flossing 1-2/day increased (P < 0.005). Over time, significant decreases occurred in those taught toothbrushing (P < 0.001) and flossing (P < 0.05), and in use of mouth rinses (P < 0.05) and tooth cleansing sticks/picks (P < 0.001). Almost all (96%) had received a dental examination; 77% attended a dentist 1-3/year. Between-meal snacking was common (84%); 71% chewed gum. Although 18% had ever smoked, 5% currently smoked. Most strongly agreed they expected to keep most of their teeth for all their life (76%); their future needs for fillings would be minimal (61%); smoking could adversely affect their teeth or gums (85%); and regular dental attendance was important for their dental health (51%). Congruent attitudes and behaviours favouring oral health were widely held concerning dental attendance, flossing and smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Final-year dental students showed well established, favourable oral hygiene attitudes and behaviours, with evidence to suggest this knowledge was developed whilst in dental school. Despite many ceasing smoking, 5% still smoked. All dental students should receive training in motivational counselling and tobacco cessation to ensure this is included in patient care.