Oral Health Knowledge and Attitude Among Students of King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia

Maintenance of oral health and positive attitudes has an integral role in the success of dental treatment and has a direct effect on the prognosis. This study aimed to determine if dentists have more dedication to their oral health than non-dentists, as there is limited data surrounding this topic in Saudi Arabia. An electronic survey was conducted to collect the data from anonymous participants in both dental and non-dental fields. Main contents of survey questions were brushing, flossing, washing, fillings, crowns, extractions, orthodontics, halitosis, gum status, toothache and checkups. Chi square and Monto Carlo tests were used to analyze the results which detected significant differences on extractions, orthodontic appliance, halitosis and gum status for dental students with corresponding scores of (18.9%, 64.9%,16.2%, 20.3% respectively) whereas non-dental students scored (33.6%, 45.8%, 29.8%, 40.5% respectively). With P-value of 0.025 for extractions, 0.009 for orthodontic appliance, 0.031 for halitosis, and 0.006 for gum status. The most prevalent problem was orthodontics. A significant difference was found between dental and non-dental students in terms of tooth brushing and flossing (75.7% VS 55.8% and 71.5% VS 23% respectively) (p = 0.046, P<0,001 respectively). Missing tooth and halitosis were higher among males than females (50% VS 25.3% and 50% VS 22% respectively) with significant difference (p=0.011, 0.003 respectively). we highly recommend more oral hygiene health education programs especially for non-dental students. Further research is needed to assess oral health problems based on clinical examination and comprehensive detailed interviews to overcome internal validity errors that might occur in an electronic based survey.