Attitude towards Oral Health at Various Colleges of the University of Zagreb: A Pilot Study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the oral status of three various groups of students: students of the School of Dental Medicine, students of technical sciences and students of humanities.


METHODS
Research included 58 students of the University of Zagreb. They answered 3 questions: how often they brush their teeth, how often they visit their dentist and how important dental health is to them. After a standard dental check-up we calculated the DMFT index. They were given an indicator for plaque Mira-2-Ton® (Hager Werken, Duisburg, Germany) and we calculated the plaque index. For statistical analysis the ANOVA test was used.


RESULTS
Students of the School of Dental Medicine had a lower plaque index than other students and this was statistically significant (p=0.0018; f=7.14). They also had a lower DMFT index, but it was not statistically significant (p=0.1004; f=2.4). 83% of students said that they brushed their teeth 2-3 times a day. Only 17% of all students brush their teeth more than 3 times a day and they are all students of the School of Dental Medicine (21% of them). Perception of oral health is on a high level, but perception of oral disease is not. The social approval of the answer was also an important factor.


CONCLUSIONS
Students of the School of Dental Medicine are an illustrative example of improving our habits due to education.
6 year undergraduate student of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Zagreb.
Anja
A
Ivica
Department of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb.
Nada
N
Galić
Cavities; Oral Health; University of Zagreb
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