Comparative evaluation of oral health attitudes and behaviors among dental and medical students during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

O.M. AlMugeiren, M.A. Baseer, Y.A. AlSenani, M.A. Bin Rubaia’an, R.M. AlObaida, L.S. AlSuwayyid, N.H. Bin Sebayel

Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ma_baseer@riyadh.edu.sa

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• Dentistry
• Infectious Diseases

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to compare the oral health attitudes and behaviors of medical and dental students/interns during the Corona pandemic in Saudi Arabia using Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the oral health attitudes and behaviors of dental and medical students/interns in Saudi Arabia using an online Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioral Inventory (HUDBI). An English version of the questionnaires consisting of personal information and 20 HUDBI items were responded by the 638 (46.8%) dental and 726 (53.2%) medical students/interns. The mean score of oral health attitude and behavior of the study participants was calculated based on 12 point scale of the HUDBI items. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests compared the HUDBI scores across different groups.

RESULTS: The study sample’s overall mean HUDBI score was 6.44±1.80 (Median 7). Dental students/interns (825.60) demonstrated a significantly higher HUDBI mean score than medical students/interns (556.75) (p<0.001). Similarly, female students (712.25) than the male students (712.25 vs. 642, p=0.001), and those studying in private universities compared to government universities (741.56 vs. 673.52, p=0.028) showed significantly higher HUDBI mean scores.

CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental students/interns displayed a better oral health attitudes and behaviors than medical students/interns. Therefore, oral health promotion programs aimed at medical and dental students/interns are essential for improving oral health attitudes and behaviors.

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