Oral Health Behavior and Practice among Nursing Students in Hyderabad City, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the oral health behavior and practice among nursing students of Hyderabad. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 nursing students from three different institutes of Hyderabad from November to December 2018. Nursing students with age 16 years and above with no restriction of gender were selected through non-probability purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through the questionnaire designed on the basis of Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.57±4.67 years. Overall highest mean HU-DBI score was found for age group 31-35 (3.91±0.850), for male (3.92±0.750), for BSN Post RN (3.91±0.856) and for 2nd-year students (3.84±0.912). A statistically significant difference was observed for gender only (p-value < 0.001). The majority (83.3%) of the participants brush their teeth every day. Half of the participants mentioned that they use a brush and miswak every day. More than 90% of participants did not use mouthwash and toothpick regularly. Only 8.2% of nursing students floss daily. Conclusion: Male nursing students were found to be more conscious about their dental hygiene. There was no significant difference in dental behavior among nursing students of different years and education program. There was a lack of floss practice among nursing students. The behavior of nursing students about oral health was adequate.