Oral-dental health knowledge, attitude and practice among dental and pharmacy students at Riyadh Elm University, KSA

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and assess oral health knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental students (DS) and pharmacy students (PS) at Riyadh Elm University. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 undergraduates including 150 DS and 150 PS from Riyadh Elm University using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Each group was further subdivided into equal portions of 75 males and 75 females. The mean percentage scores, standard deviation, and frequency distribution were calculated, while Student's t-test and Chi-square test were employed to test for the association between different variables. Results: DS showed the highest scores on 6 out of 8 of the knowledge questions compared to PS (P = 0.000), while their scores on the rest of the two questions were about similar with no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.223 and 0.561). The unpaired t-test showed means of 114.375 ± 26.386 for the DS and 48.25 ± 30.046 for the PS who answered yes and the difference was significantly high (P = 0.000). On the other hand, the unpaired t-test showed a means of 101.75 ± 30.046 for the PS and 35.625 ± 26.386 for the DS who answered no (P = 0.000). The scores of the 4-point Likert Scale corresponding to the five attitude questions were comparable between the dental and pharmacy groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the attitude responses of the two groups as indicated by the Chi-square P values for every question (P = 0.155–0.767). Regarding oral care practice, a total of 113 (75.3%) of the DS and 127 (84.6%) of the PS showed to brush their teeth 2–3 times a day. A total of 107 (71.4%) and 111 (74.0%) of the respective DS and PS used to rinse their teeth from 2 to 3 times a daily. The responses of the DS and PS regarding teeth flossing, the use of dental fluorides, and the frequency of their dental checkup were very close. Chi-square P values were 0.215, 0.779, 0.985, 0.677, and 0.769, respectively, for the five practice questions with no significant difference. Conclusion: Oral health knowledge among DS was significantly higher than PS. The higher knowledge of DS could be attributed to their specialized courses on oral health which is lacking in the pharmacy program. PS had positive attitude and practice despite having poor knowledge regarding oral health. Both groups showed positive oral care attitude and practice with no significant statistic differences.