Current Pediatric Research

It is well known that oral health is an integral part of an individual's overall health. Moreover, oral health conditions have been reported to be closely related with general diseases, while oral diseases are also highly correlated with the obesity of university students these days. In addition, dental caries and periodontal diseases, which are oral diseases that exacerbate oral health issues, may progress into a chronic process. For this reason, it is necessary to regularly manage oral diseases. For this reason, this study is designed to investigate the factors that influence oral health knowledge by comparing oral health awareness, level of oral knowledge, and oral health management behavior of the university students, who are important members of society in the future. We will create a healthy oral environment through proper oral health knowledge and contribute to the future oral health program or oral health project design. To achieve this purpose, we conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey for the university students nationwide, and 326 copies of the questionnaire were distributed. A total of 320 copies of the questionnaire were analyzed, except for the 6 copies. The contents of the questionnaire (a total of 36 items) were composed of general characteristics, oral management behavior, and oral health knowledge. Statistical Packages for Social Science version 19.0 (SPSS Inc., USA) was used following the coding for the collected data analysis. Frequency analysis was used for the distribution of the general characteristics, while cross analysis, one-way ANOVA, and independent samples t-test were used for oral health knowledge according to the general characteristics and oral health behavior. The results were as follows; the level of oral health knowledge according to gender and major was statistically significant and also the oral health knowledge according to subject concern and oral status, the oral health knowledge according to subject concern was statistically significant. In addition, major, subject concern, age, regular oral examination, dental treatment for the past year, and gender were statistically significant. And also, health related department students have much more oral health knowledge. Therefore, this study should be used as a resource and basic data for the oral health practice of all people via correct oral health knowledge.

Author(s): Ah Reum Shin MS, Yi-Sub Kwak, Hye-Young Kim

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