Awareness, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Oral Healthcare among First Year Dental, Medical, and Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: It has been reported that poor oral health can worsen general health conditions. Good collaboration between health professionals is important to provide proper oral healthcare. Thus, there is a need for oral healthcare interprofessional education (IPE). This study aimed to determine the baseline level of awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of oral healthcare among first-year students of dentistry, medicine, and nursing at Universitas Indonesia. Method and Participants: A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study using a previously published questionnaire was conducted involving 442 students, consisting of dental students (DS), medical students (MS), and nursing students (NS) in Universitas Indonesia. Results: Most students have shown good oral healthcare awareness, attitudes, and perception with no statistically significant difference between the groups (p < 0.05). The majority of the students did not perceive that (1) geriatric and nursing knowledge are required to practice oral care, (2) oral healthcare should be provided in cancer hospitals, and (3) oral healthcare can prevent cardiovascular disease and improve anorexia. Conclusions: This study showed that there were aspects of oral healthcare that should be improved in all student groups. Thus, oral healthcare IPE should be given to all students working in healthcare to develop knowledge and interprofessional collaboration in oral healthcare.