Differences in oral health behavior and attitudes between dental and nursing students

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the difference in oral health attitudes and behavior between dental and nursing students. Methods: A total of 27 item questions, the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) and additionally 7 questions, were distributed to a total of 253 students, 94 dental and 159 nursing students, from Marmara University. The participating was voluntary based. Results: Seventy-one dental and 157 nursing students were willing to participate to the study. The nursing students were significantly more concerned about the appearance of their teeth (P<0.001), and gums compared to dental students (P<0.001). Percent of agree response to worrying less about visiting dentist (P<0.001), and postponing to go to dentist until they had toothache (P<0.001) were higher in nursing students than in dental ones. More dental students compared to nursing students used a toothbrush with hard bristles (P=0.004), child-sized toothbrushes (P<0.001), brushed each of their teeth carefully (P=0.006) and had used a dye to see how clean their teeth were (P<0.001). Compared to the nursing students, a higher proportion of dental students thought that they could clean their teeth well without using toothpaste (P<0.001). The HU-DBI score of dental students was significantly higher than of nursing students (P<0.001). Dental students showed better oral health attitudes and behavior compared to nursing students. Conclusion: Nursing students have low oral health awareness. More comprehensive courses on oral health care that teach and encourage the students to change their own dental health behavior and attitudes are needed. Key words: Oral health behavior, oral health attitudes, HU-DBI, dental students, nursing students