Oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour of dental students in a private university

INTRODUCTION: The positive attitude and behaviour of dental students can be improved during their undergraduate studies and is considered an essential factor in promoting the oral self-care habits of their patients and society in general. AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among undergraduate dental students at a private university, based on the year of undergraduate studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire based on the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory was distributed among 783 undergraduate dental students from 1st to 5th year. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. The Mann–Whitney U test and one-way ANOVA tests (Kruskal–Wallis test) were used. RESULTS: The scores of oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour between preclinical and clinical dental students were found to have statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). The variation of knowledge, attitude and behaviour scores from 1st to 5th year undergraduate studies was shown to be statistically significant with the year of study (P < 0.001). The study showed significant improvement in the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the final year dental students as compared with the 1st year dental students. CONCLUSION: Preclinical students need properly designed oral health educational programs to increase their attitude and behaviour toward oral health.