Oral health behavior differences between dental students in graduate and doctoral programs

Purpose This study aimed to compare oral health behavior between dental students in graduate programs and those in doctoral programs (PhD students) and determine the effects of parental education and occupation on these behaviors. Materials and Methods A questionnaire on oral health behaviors was distributed in a faculty of dentistry in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 629 questionnaires were distributed, and 528 dental graduate and 101 PhD students responded. Parental education and occupation were also recorded, and data were statistically analyzed. Results Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to the frequency of replacing toothbrush (p=0.001), use of electric toothbrush (p<0.001), frequency of brushing (p<0.001), amount of water used to rinse mouth (p<0.001), toothpaste selection criteria (p<0.001), use of dental floss (p<0.001), amount of toothpaste used for brushing (p=0.018), frequency of professional care (p<0.001), and sugar consumption (p<0.001). The PhD group showed more favorable outcomes for these behaviors except for toothpaste selection. Parental education and occupation were correlated with higher frequencies of flossing and mouth rinsing. Conclusion The outcomes of this study show that the self-reported quality of overall oral health behavior is more pronounced in PhD students than in graduate students, with the exceptions of behaviors regarding the duration of brushing, toothpaste selection criteria, and use of mouth rinse. The current dental curriculum in the universities should be revisited with respect to oral health attitudes. This study also implies that educational and occupational status of parents had little effect on oral health behavior of the students, including the use of dental floss and mouth rinse.

[1]  K. Paterson,et al.  Social ranking effects on tooth-brushing behaviour. , 2016, British journal of health psychology.

[2]  D. Božić,et al.  Oral health attitudes and behavior of dental students at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. , 2013, Journal of dental education.

[3]  B. Rahman,et al.  The relationship between dental health behavior, oral hygiene and gingival status of dental students in the United Arab Emirates , 2013, European journal of dentistry.

[4]  H. Calache,et al.  Oral health attitudes and behaviours of final-year dental students. , 2012, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[5]  Sinem Yildiz,et al.  Self Reported Dental Health Attitudes and Behaviour of Dental Students in Turkey , 2011, European journal of dentistry.

[6]  G. Kayalvizhi,et al.  Oral Health Attitudes and Behavior among a Group of Dental Students in Bangalore, India , 2011, European journal of dentistry.

[7]  O. Uysal,et al.  Dental training and changes in oral health attitudes and behaviors in Istanbul dental students. , 2010, Journal of dental education.

[8]  L. Maes,et al.  Behavioral determinants of hand hygiene compliance in intensive care units. , 2010, American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

[9]  M. Alkurt,et al.  Oral Health Attitudes and Behavior among a Group of Turkish Dental Students , 2009, European journal of dentistry.

[10]  Y. Zadik,et al.  Oral self-care habits of dental and healthcare providers. , 2008, International journal of dental hygiene.

[11]  A. Sharda,et al.  A comparative study of oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour of first and final year dental students of Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India. , 2008, International journal of dental hygiene.

[12]  R. Dagli,et al.  Self reported dental health attitude and behavior of dental students in India. , 2008, Journal of oral science.

[13]  D. Gould,et al.  A review of the evidence for suboptimal compliance of healthcare practitioners to standard/universal infection control precautions. , 2007, Journal of clinical nursing.

[14]  M. Jafarian,et al.  Oral health behaviour and its determinants amongst Iranian dental students. , 2007, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[15]  M. Jafarian,et al.  Prevention-oriented practice of Iranian senior dental students. , 2007, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[16]  D. Declerck,et al.  The hierarchical cluster analysis of oral health attitudes and behaviour using the Hiroshima University--Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) among final year dental students in 17 countries. , 2006, International dental journal.

[17]  W. Rong,et al.  Attitudes of dental and medical students in their first and final years of undergraduate study to oral health behaviour. , 2006, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[18]  A. Polychronopoulou,et al.  Oral self-care behaviours: comparing Greek and Japanese dental students. , 2005, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[19]  S. Kwan,et al.  A comparative study of oral health attitudes and behaviour using the Hiroshima University - Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) between dental students in Britain and China. , 2005, Journal of oral science.

[20]  A. Hamasha,et al.  Gender-specific oral health attitudes and behavior among dental students in Jordan. , 2005, The journal of contemporary dental practice.

[21]  M. Kawamura,et al.  Differences in self-reported oral health behavior between dental students and dental technology/dental hygiene students in Jordan. , 2004, Journal of oral science.

[22]  Sue Jordan,et al.  Uptake of guidelines to avoid and report exposure to blood and body fluids. , 2004, Journal of advanced nursing.

[23]  H. Murtomaa,et al.  Time and cohort changes in preventive practice among Mongolian dental students. , 2003, European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe.

[24]  E. Cuenca,et al.  The evolution of dental health in dental students at the University of Barcelona. , 2002, Journal of dental education.

[25]  G. Godin,et al.  Determinants of nurses' adherence to universal precautions for venipunctures. , 2000, American journal of infection control.

[26]  R. Freeman the psychology of dental patient care: The determinants of dental health attitudes and behaviours , 1999, British Dental Journal.

[27]  R. Freeman The psychology of dental patient care: A psychodynamic understanding of the dentist–patient interaction , 1999, British Dental Journal.

[28]  E. Larson,et al.  A multifaceted approach to changing handwashing behavior. , 1997, American journal of infection control.

[29]  P. Frazier Public health education and promotion for caries prevention: the role of dental schools. , 1983, Journal of public health dentistry.

[30]  E. Gallagher,et al.  Dentists and the oral health behavior of patients: A sociological perspective , 1981, Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

[31]  Oya Ulu,et al.  DİŞ HEKİMLİĞİ EĞİTİMİ SÜRECİNDE DİŞ HEKİMLİĞİ ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN KİŞİSEL AĞIZ HİJYENİ DAVRANIŞLARINDAKİ DEĞİŞİM-Oral Hygiene Behaviour Change in Dentistry Students During Dental Education , 2012 .

[32]  Nicola Barghout,et al.  Level of education and gender-specific self-reported oral health behavior among dental students. , 2012, Oral health & preventive dentistry.

[33]  G. Žekonis,et al.  Evaluation of Dental Health of Dental Students at Kaunas University of Medicine , 2003 .