Prevalence of Oral health Care and problems among Rift Valley University health sciences Faculty students in Adama, south east Ethiopia

Oral health care among health sciences Faculty students

Abstract

Objective: Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth healthy and clean by brushing and
flossing to prevent teeth decay and gum disease. Oral diseases are directly associated with poor
practices of oral hygiene and bad breath. In Ethiopia, there are no documented studies conducted on the
knowledge and practices of oral health among health sciences students.
Methods: A quantitative facility -based cross-sectional study was employed among 422 health science
students that were selected by systematic random sampling from the registry. Data entry, cleaning was
made using Epi Data version 3.1 and analysis was performed using SPSS 16.
Results: The study showed that 93.1% reported the experience of the participants cleans their teeth. Of
which only 49.5% brushed with toothpaste. About 80.3% of the participants experienced oral
problems in their life. 43.8% had gum bleeding, 31.5% had dental plaques. Among 40.8% who had
toothache, 31.5% of them had tooth decay, 68% had lost one of their teeth due to illness. This study
indicated that risk of dental caries was higher for male 38% (95% CI=31, 45.7) than female 26 %( 95%
CI=20.8, 32.4). Predictors of dental caries were eating chocolate, being male and presence of dental
plaques.
Conclusion: This study indicated that oral health problems were common among study participants.
This need appropriate health information dissemination in all schools that provide academic services
in Ethiopia.