Self-perception of oral health awareness among dental students in Himachal Pradesh, India: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The aim was to study the self-perception of oral health awareness considering the various determinants among dental students of dental colleges in Himachal Pradesh, India. Method: Data collection procedure included information obtained from the dental students recorded on a structured proforma self-administered which included Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). Higher scores indicate better oral health attitude and behavior.Results: There were 84.9% female, 14.3% male and 0.7% other among total 670 participants. The total response rate was 74.4%. The mean total HU-DBI score is 6.38(1.54). Total score was significant for age between 20 and 23 years in post-hoc analysis of one way ANOVA.Conclusion: The scores were higher in 1st and 3rd professional year dental students and inculcating right attitude and behavior during this period could come long way in their routine dental practices. Increased curricular coverage including summative assessment and simple problem based learning activities on preventive dentistry are recommended.