American Journal of Oral Medicine and Radiology

AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF ORAL HYGIENE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AT ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA

Dr. Ali Said Yussuf1, Dr. Sivanageswararao Mekala2*, Saravanan Ranganathan3, Dr. Chukwuma J. Okafor4, Dr. Fatma Nassor Mkamballa5, Dr. Habibu Hashimu Ame

sivanageshmekala@gmail.com

Oral health, awareness, oral hygiene, systemic health

Oral health is essential for general health and well-being throughout life and is a marker for overall health status. Poor oral health can have a significant effect on quality of life. Awareness regarding it can lead to the enhancement of oral health. The aim of the study is to investigate the awareness and practice among medical students of at the school of health and medical sciences, SUZA. A Descriptive cross-sectional design will be conducted and involving students of school of health and medical sciences, SUZA. Analysis of data will be done using charts, graph, table and figures. Results: 51 % of the students practice combined style (horizontal & vertical) of tooth brushing, 23.1 % practice circular, 16.6 % practice horizontal and 8.6 % practice vertical style. 48.5 % students were using fluoride toothpaste where as 34.6 % were unaware about presence or absence of fluoride in their paste and 16.9 % were not using fluoride toothpaste. 63.3 % of students were aware that the bleeding from the gum is due to poor oral hygiene, 18.6 % were aware that bleeding was due to general illness. 66.3 % of the students were aware of the cases of sugary diets as cause of dental decay, 18.3% of the students were unaware and 15.4 % of the student had no idea. About 51.8% of the students in this study visited a dentist only on dental pain, 25.1% never visited a dentist, 10.7 % of students go for dental check-up once in 6 months, 12.4 % go for routine dental check-up regularly once in 3 months. In conclusion, lack of oral health education and access to dental facility were major factors influenced the oral health as responded by the medical students. Students who are aware about practice of good oral hygiene habits tend to have healthier teeth and gums compared to the unaware subjects. Overall, promoting good oral hygiene awareness and practice not only enhance the dental health but also contribute to the overall health and well-being