Methods: A self-administered questionnaire based on the Hiroshima University – Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) was distributed among 372 dental students.HU-DBI retained excellent psychometric properties and test-retest reliability after translation into English and no advent deficiency were found. The response rate of dental student was 75.8% with 44% males and 56% females.
Results: The mean HU-DBI score has shown a significant relationship(p<0.05) with age by one way-Analysis of Variance(ANOVA). Dental students were substantially more concerned about the appearance of their teeth, gums and halitosis. The total mean scores were not so higher in clinical years(year 3, year 4) than non-clinical years(year1, year 2) indicating almost equal awareness among dental students. There was statistically significant difference for age(p<0.05) but not gender or academic year differences among mean score of HU-DBI .The present study showed that these dental students in India had poor oral health awarness compared to some other countries developed countries.
Conclusion: Oral health behavior among these Indian dental students requires improvements in order to serve as a positive model for their patients, family and friends.