title: Determinants of preventive oral health behaviour among senior dental students in Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To study the association between oral health behaviour of senior dental students in Nigeria and their gender, age, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were administered to 179 senior dental students in the six dental schools in Nigeria. The questionnaire obtained information on age, gender, oral self-care, knowledge of preventive dental care and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Attending a dental clinic for check-up by a dentist or a classmate within the last year was defined as preventive care use. Students who performed oral self-care and attended dental clinic for check-ups were noted to have complied with recommended oral self-care. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More male respondents agreed that the use of fluoride toothpaste was more important than the tooth brushing technique for caries prevention (P < 0.001). While the use of dental floss was very low (7.3%), more females were more likely to report using dental floss (p=0.03). Older students were also more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care (p<0.001). In binary regression models, respondents who were younger (p=0.04) and those with higher knowledge of preventive dental care (p=0.008) were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender differences in the awareness of the superiority of using fluoridated toothpaste over brushing in caries prevention; and in the use of dental floss were observed. While older students were more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care measures, younger students with good knowledge of preventive dental care were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. toyinukpong@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Morenike O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Folayan
authors.forename: Mohammad R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Khami
authors.forename: Nkiru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Folaranmi
authors.forename: Bamidele O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Popoola
authors.forename: Oyinkan O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Sofola
authors.forename: Taofeek O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Ligali
authors.forename: Ayodeji O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Esan
authors.forename: Omolola O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Orenuga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011313:Preventive Dentistry; D012648:Self Care; D012737:Sex Factors; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005459:Fluorides