Comparison Of Oral Health Status And Behaviorbetween First And Fifth Years Of Al-Mustansiriyah Dental Students

Abstract

Background:Periodontal diseases and dental caries are the most common oral diseases, but they can beadequately prevented by adopting a specific health behavior and plaque control.The study was carried out todetermine and compare oral health status; it included both caries experience, gingival health and oral hygienebehavior betweenfirst and fifth yearsof Al-Mustansiriyahdental students.Materials and methods: Total sample of the study consisted of 50 students at first year (25 males, 25 females)and 60students at fifth year (30 males, 30 females). Plaque andgingival indices,dental caries indices (DMFS and DMFT)wererecorded to evaluateoral health status for each student. Further questionnaires were given to evaluatedifferent oral hygiene habits.Results: The mean values of plaque and gingival indicesin the first year were higher than fifth year for males andfemales with highly significant difference at (P ≤0.01);whereas the mean values of plaque index were (1.17, 0.83 formales of first and fifth years respectively and 1.02, 0.47 for femaleof first and fifth years respectively)and the meanvalues of gingival index were(0.89, 0.51 for males of first and fifth years respectively and 0.78, 0.31 for femalesof firstand fifth years respectively). As well as, the mean of (DMFS and DMFT) were showed higher values among femalesthan maleswhere (8.88, 6.48 for males and 10.16, 7.08 for females)in first year, while(11.90, 8.73for males and 13.33,9.16 for females) infifth year. The percentagesof tooth brushing, mouthwash, dental floss, and tooth picks usingforfifthyear students were higher than first year students.Conclusion: Differences of oral health statusand behavior rates between first and finalyearsstudents can beattributed to low level of dental education infirst year studentswhoseneed the improvements of oral hygieneeducation in futurewhich include the importance of proper tooth brushing and using of interdental aids to preventthe periodontal diseases and dental caries