Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Volume number: 19

Issue number: 3

eISSN: 1660-4601

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031908

Publisher: MDPI

Abstract: 
The strategic plan for dentistry and oral health in Estonia of 2030 focuses on oral health promotion and disease prevention through undergraduate dental curricula and fostering public health-oriented research among students. The present study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study to evaluate oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (KAB) of dental students in Estonia. The study was carried out in the spring semester of 2020, and it used a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI). A total of 129 students responded to the survey, constituting a response rate of 93.5% due to the total population sampling (census) technique used in this study and the small target population size. Out of the 124 students included in the final analysis, 79% were females, 62.1% were clinical students, 11.3% reported smoking tobacco at least once a week, and 86.3% reported problematic internet use. The present study found that mean HU-DBI score of Estonian dental students was 8.09 +/- 1.22 which is so far the highest recorded HU-DBI score in Europe. There was no significant difference between female vs. male or preclinical vs. clinical students in terms of HU-DBI score. While clinical students reported less faulty oral hygiene practices, such as hard toothbrush use and aggressive toothbrushing, preclinical students reported a slightly higher mean HU-DBI score. Smoking behaviour was more common among male and clinical students, and it was also associated with alcohol drinking and worry about teeth colour and halitosis.

Harvard Citation style: Riad, A., Pold, A., Olak, J., Howaldt, H., Klugar, M., Krsek, M., et al. (2022) Estonian Dental Students' Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours (KAB): National Survey-Based Study, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), Article 1908. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031908

APA Citation style: Riad, A., Pold, A., Olak, J., Howaldt, H., Klugar, M., Krsek, M., & Attia, S. (2022). Estonian Dental Students' Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours (KAB): National Survey-Based Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(3), Article 1908. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031908