ORAL HYGIENE PRACTICES OF FIRST AND FINAL YEAR DENTAL STUDENTS AT FOUNDATION UNIVERSITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Objective: To compare personal oral hygiene practices between first and final year dental students of Foundation University College of Dentistry (FUCD). Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Foundation University College of Dentistry, Islamabad, from Mar to May 2019. Methodology: A pre-structured questionnaire was distributed to students of first and final year BDS classes with questions related to seven basic oral hygiene practices. These included frequency of teeth cleaning, time spent in cleaning teeth, tools used for cleaning teeth, frequency of changing toothbrushes, use of secondary plaque control methods, whether or not students cleaned their tongue, and how often they visited a dentist. Results: Only 2 out of 7 practices, (i.e. more frequency of brushing, 45/52 (86.5% in final year vs 25/47 (53.1% infirst year and usage of floss 22/52 (42.3%) in final year vs 9/47 (19.1%) in first year) were found to be significantly better in final year students when compared to first year BDS students with a p-value of 0.012 and 0.04 respectively. The remaining differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: When compared with first year BDS students, only 2 out of 7recommended oral hygiene practiceswere found to be better in final year students. Therefore, there is a need for greater emphasis on oral hygienepractices at undergraduate educational years.