Abstract
Germany's 2030–oral health agenda incorporates behavioral targets such as twice-daily toothbrushing and routine dental check-ups. Given the professional and social roles of dentists in oral health promotion, the oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) of dentists and dental students became worth investigation. The present study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study that aimed to evaluate oral health KAB of German dental students using the Hiroshima University – Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). A total of 508 dental students filled in the questionnaire, out of which 74.2% were females, 38.8% were clinical students, 11.4% reported tobacco smoking at least once week, 26.6% reported drinking alcohol at least once a week, and 82.9% reported suffering from problematic internet use. The overall HU-DBI score was high (7.67 ± 1.32), and it was slightly higher among females (7.70 ± 1.33) than males (7.59 ± 1.29), and gender-diverse students (7.33 ± 1.37). Clinical students (7.88 ± 1.26) had a significantly higher HU-DBI score, especially in the domain of oral health behaviors, compared with preclinical students (7.53 ± 1.34). A significant improvement in oral health behaviors and HU-DBI score was found between the third- vs. the fourth year, which corresponds to the period when prophylaxis, hygiene, and periodontology courses are delivered. Tobacco smoking was significantly associated with poor oral health knowledge, behaviors, and overall HU-DBI score. Problematic internet use and alcohol drinking had slightly lower HU-DBI scores. The findings of the present study call for early implementation of preventive dentistry elements in German curricula and addressing oral health needs of gender minorities in Germany by future epidemiologic studies.
Highlights
In 2021, the German Dental Association (BZÄK) released the oral health goals of the health system in Germany for the year 2030, based on the best available epidemiologic evidence [1]
Our study found that the overall Hiroshima University – Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) score of dental students in Germany was 7.67 ± 1.32, which is higher than the overall score of dental students in other European countries such as Croatia (6.62 ± 1.54) [60], Finland (7.15 ± 1.13) [61], Greece (6.86 ± 1.83) [62], Lithuania (6.35 ± 1.43) [63], Poland (7.23 ± 1.45) [64], Romania (6.96) [65], and the United Kingdom (7.33) [66]
German dental students reported high levels of oral health KAB denoted by a mean HU-DBI score of 7.67 ± 1.32, which is higher than the vast majority of European students reported previously
Summary
In 2021, the German Dental Association (BZÄK) released the oral health goals of the health system in Germany for the year 2030, based on the best available epidemiologic evidence [1]. The public notion of dental professionals’ superiority in terms of oral health is proven by the prevailing evidence that confirmed that oral health reported behaviors and clinical outcomes were significantly better among dentists than laypersons [8]. Dental students tend to exhibit better oral health knowledge and attitudes than other university students, including healthcare students, e.g., medical, pharmacy, and nursing [30–33]. A long-standing hypothesis was laid down claiming that undergraduate curricula of dental schools can improve oral health attitudes and behaviors as collateral for equipping the students with the basic clinical skills and theoretical knowledge required to perform their future job [34–36]
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