Özet:

Aim: The oral and dental hygiene behaviors of patients are affected by their dentists. Although dental students attend preclinical courses in their first and second years of education, they are expected to be knowledgeable about oral and dental health due to their future position as being role models for patients. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the oral and dental health awareness and oral health habits of preclinical dental students. Material and Methods: 127 preclinical dental students were included in this study. A questionnaire consisting of 39 questions about oral-dental health habits and knowledge levels was prepared. The results were analyzed with the SPSS 22.0 software. A p-value of smaller than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Frequency of daily tooth brushing, gingival bleeding, halitosis, toothpaste preference, satisfaction with tooth color and frequency of dental visits were found to be statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the 1st-year and 2nd-year student groups in terms of their responses to the questions (p> 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the male and female groups for their responses to the questions on topics such as toothpaste preference, satisfaction with the color of their teeth, frequency of dental examination, frequency of tooth cleaning and toothbrushing time (p <0.05). It was also found that the oral and dental awareness and dissatisfaction with teeth levels were higher in the female participants. Conclusion: It was observed that the 1st-year and 2nd-year participants had similar views regarding oral hygiene and attitudes since they had just started their vocational training. Awareness and knowledge levels are expected to increase with class year and as clinical courses progress.

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