Oral Health Knowledge and Habits of Zagreb University Dental Students

Method: Cross-sectional study of 62 (68%) of the first and 47 (47%) of the final (6^th) year dental students was conducted to compare differences in oral health behavior and plaque index values. The subjects were surveyed using the Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire (20 Items). Plaque levels were determined for each participant by using the modified Greene – Vermillion method. A multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the differences in statements between the first and final year students, and t-test at the level of significance of p≤0.05 was used to determine the difference in plaque values. 

Result: Mean HU-DBI score of the final year students was significantly higher compared to the first year students which amounted to 8.06 and 6.45, respectively. A significantly larger number of first year students think that they cannot avoid having false teeth when they get old (p=0.007), have never been taught professionally how to brush (p=0.019), and use a hard bristles toothbrush (p=0.001). A significantly larger number of final year students brush each of their teeth carefully (p=0.008), think they can clean their teeth well without using tooth paste (p=0.000), have used a dye to see how clean their teeth were (p=0.002), and have had their dentist told them that they brushed their teeth very well (p=0.028).

Plaque index values were significantly lower (p<0.05) among the first year students (1.32) than among the final year students (1.52).

Conclusion: With advancement in dental training, the dental students' oral health knowledge improved, but the level of their oral hygiene decreased. Motivation and education in self-oral care regimes should be included in the undergraduate curriculum.