Survey-based evaluation of oral hygiene habits among students of several Cracow universities – part I

Introduction. Oral health status is integrally related to
the overall body health as well as general well being.
Parents should implement proper hygienic habits
from the earliest age to be continued over a lifetime.
Assessment of the effectiveness of health-promoting
practices is difficult, but must be carried out because
of the necessity to verify the value of educational
programs conducted by schools and the mass media
(press, the internet, radio and television). Aim of the
study. To assess the frequency of visits to a dentist and
oral hygiene habits in dental students and in students
of other non-medical fields of studies – based on a
survey study. Material and methods. The evaluated
material consisted of answers to the questionnaire
which was prepared for the purpose of the research. A
total of 223 participants including 159 women and 64
men, between the ages of 19 to 21 years, took part in
the survey. The respondents were students of Cracow
universities – Jagiellonian University Medical College
(CMUJ), Jagiellonian University (UJ) and University
of Science and Technology (AGH). Results. Only 30% of respondents declared regular visits to the dentist.
More than half of the surveyed (55.16%) brush their
teeth twice a day and 19.73% do it three times a day.
Among the surveyed, 63.23% rinse their mouth with
mouthwashes, 45.74% floss their teeth and 77% use a
manual toothbrush. The study group was aware of the
complex process of calculus formation. Conclusions.
The conducted survey revealed that it is necessary to
constantly inform and motivate the respondents about
correct hygiene habits. As expected, it was found that
dental students show significantly higher knowledge
about oral health in comparison with students from
other universities. However, knowledge of this group
of respondents does not result in the implementation of
correct hygiene habits and pro-health behaviour.