Students' Behavior Related to Oral Health

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health signi cantly a ects the quality of life. Behavior is a very important determinant of oral health, which is related to oral hygiene, diet, regular visits to the dentist and smoking. Students are interesting re- search group to study an oral-helath behavior, particularly dental students, because of their knowledge and attitudes about oral health greatly a ect the proceedings in their further work which is important for the health of the pop- ulation. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the oral health behavior of dental students of the Medical Faculty in Pod- gorica and the Faculty of Political Science in Podgorica. Materials and Methods: The study included 125 stu- dents. The survey instrument was a questionnaire of closed type, containing questions about oral hygiene, visits to the dentist, as well as questions about nutrition and consump- tion of tobacco. Results: The study showed that students take care of their oral health; 75.2% brush their teeth 2 to 3 times a day, and 54.4% goes to examinations every 3 - 6 months. Results also indicated that there are certain problems that require health-educational measures, such as a lack of knowledge about uoride as an element of dental caries prevention, as well as the insucient use of additional funds for oral hygiene, such as dental oss and interdental brushes. Conclusion: The study showed that students take care of their oral health, but there is a need for continuous edu- cation programs on the importance and protection of oral health. Dental students have shown a bit better results.