Oral health knowledge and quality of life among Kuwait University students

PLEASE NOTE: This work is protected by copyright. Downloading is restricted to the BU community: please click Download and log in with a valid BU account to access. If you are the author of this work and would like to make it publicly available, please contact [email protected] (MSD)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 2006 (Dental Public Health).Includes bibliographical references: leaves 48-49.Aim: To evaluate and quantify the oral health knowledge and opinions of Kuwait University students. The objectives are to assess Oral Health Knowledge (OHK) and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQOL) among Kuwait University students, and to evaluate the outcome of the School Oral Health Program in improving oral health knowledge, opinions, and quality of life for those who were part of the School Oral Health Program (SOHP), compared to those who were not part of the SOHP. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 500 students in different colleges in Kuwait University from May to July 2005. Three-hundred students completed the questionnaire anonymously. Demographics, Oral hygiene habits and behavior, OHK and OHRQOL questions were included. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, linear regression models were perfomed using Epi, Info, Version 3.3.2 and SAS Version 8.2. Results: Three hundred (60%) completed the questionnaire. Of these, eighty-seven percent were female. Almost two-thirds reported their parents had college or higher educational level, 80% studied in public schooIs, and over 80% lived in Hawally and Capital regions of Kuwait. Fifty-five percent reported that they had a dental clinic in their school and one-third visited SOHP centers. Two-thirds reported they have good oral health, and almost 50% said they did not have any dental diseases. Most of the respondents (73%) visited the dentist in the last 12 months, and the most common reason for visiting the dentist was pain (30%). Only 20% saw their dentist for a regular dental exam. Brushing twice a day was the most common method (72%), with a large majority (78%) using fluoridated toothpaste. Sixty percent were not able to identify any dental disease correctly. Oral health knowledge was correct in some aspects such as the role of sugar and bacteria in dental caries and the role of fluoride in caries prevention. Oral health knowledge was poor in other areas since only 20% knew that soft drinks cause dental caries or that parents could transmit bacteria to their children. Overall, the respondents showed good OHRQOL, where half of the participants reported their oral health did not interrupt their life in the last three months because of oral problems. Only 5% reported that their social, physical or psychological part of their life has been affected by their oral health problems in the last three months. Linear regression model for OHK showed that having knowledge was related to good to excellent oral health, having dental disease, and brushing twice or more a day. OHRQOL model showed that mother’s college or higher education level, and those who reported having no dental diseases positively influence OHRQOL. Surprisingly there was no differences seen in either OHK or OHRQOL between SOHP attendees and those who did not go to SOHP. Conclusion: These findings indicate that although students seem to have good OHK in some aspects, there is sti11 room for improvement, especially in the area of enumerating oral diseases, knowing the role of fluoride in caries prevention and the role of routine dental check-up visits, to prevent oral diseases or at least decrease dental emergency visits. In general there are no differences in OHK and OHRQOL between SOHP attendees and those who were not SOHP attendees. Since oral health promotion is a large part of SOHP policy, better methods to improve oral health knowledge and behaviors should be implemented