The Outcomes of an Interventional Oral Health Program on Dental Students' Oral Hygiene.

Katarina Kalevski,Zoran Tambur,Jovan Vojinović ,Nenad Borotić ,Jovana Milutinović ,Ema Aleksić ,Milica Gajić ,Raša Mladenović

doi:10.3390/ijerph182413242

Abstract

Dental students are an interesting population because they are expected to have a higher level of knowledge of and to exhibit better oral hygiene habits, and thus have a greater impact on the environment, families, and society as a whole. The aim of this research was to determine the state of oral hygiene in dental students before and after the interventional health education program. The research sample consisted of 119 students of dentistry in their first and fourth years of study. The first research stage was conducted before health education intervention (for the evaluation of selected oral health parameters, the Decayed, Missing and Filled index, Greene–Vermillion index, Silness–Löe plaque index, Silness–Löe gingival index, and the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs index were used). The second stage was conducted as a clinical measurement of oral health changes. The conducted health education intervention, to an extent, led to changes in the state of oral hygiene among the students, and thus healthier habits. There was a statistically significant difference in the examined population between the beginning of the study and after the health education intervention program. Although a significant improvement in oral hygiene and oral health was noticed after the health education intervention program, the state of oral hygiene was still not at a satisfactory level among the dental students, contrary to our expectations.

Highlights

Dentists play an important role in improving oral health
The aim of this research was to determine the state of oral hygiene in dental students before and after an interventional health education program, to evaluate its effectiveness in order to improve the state of oral hygiene
This study showed that, at the beginning of the health education intervention, personal care in maintaining oral hygiene in the dental students was at a low level, and that further efforts in education are necessary to lead to a general improvement of oral health in students, as well as the application of additional hygiene methods that are effective in maintaining a good level of oral health [18]

Summary

Introduction

Dentists play an important role in improving oral health. acquiring knowledge regarding dental health and the prevention of oral diseases is crucial during the training of dental students throughout their studies [1].One of the main goals of health education is to train students so that they can motivate patients to adopt good oral hygiene, and there is certainly a greater possibility of them doing exactly that if they themselves are motivated and implement good oral hygiene [2].Dental students should be able to apply their knowledge to their own dental care [3]. Dental students are interesting because they are expected to have a higher level of knowledge and skills, and they are expected to exhibit better oral hygiene habits, and have a greater impact on the environment, families, and society as a whole. Their knowledge of oral health and how to implement oral hygiene changes and improves during their years of study [6]; the way students experience changes in their views towards oral health during their undergraduate education can be seen as a reflection of the effect of dental training. Students’ attitude towards their own teeth, proper oral hygiene, and oral health in general, can play a significant role in the later determination of health treatments [7]

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