Knowledge and Practice of Oral Hygiene Maintenance among Dental Students

Abstract

Background: Oral health awareness has an important role in general health and well-being of an individual. As dental students, we have an enormous role to play in maintaining public health. Hence, it is very important to have sound knowledge and importance of oral hygiene measures and their importance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice of oral hygiene maintenance among dental students. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and practice of oral hygiene of dental students. Seventy students were evaluated and their responses were recorded, tabulated, and analyzed. Results: 86% of the dental students had adequate knowledge about the common causes of oral diseases. 84% of the students responded that they prefer fluorinated toothpaste by considering design of the toothbrush. 84.7% of the students responded that they clean their tongue with tongue-cleaning aids and prefer to get treated at initial signs of caries. About 65.7% of the respondents control their mouth odor by regular rinse using plain water. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that the overall knowledge of oral hygiene among the dental students was good, but there were deficits in their oral hygiene practices in certain areas.