Effect of 5 years of dental studies on the oral health of Tunisian dental students

• Published in: Eastern Mediterranean health journal Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 625 - 631
• Main Authors: Maatouk, F, Maatouk, W, Ghedira, H, Ben Mimoun, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Egypt World Health Organization 01-09-2006
• Subjects: Adult; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dental Caries - prevention & control; Dental Health Surveys; Dental students; DMF Index; Education, Dental - organization & administration; Female; Fluorosis, Dental - epidemiology; Fluorosis, Dental - prevention & control; Follow-Up Studies; Health aspects; Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Services Needs and Demand; Health Status; Humans; Male; Malocclusion - epidemiology; Malocclusion - prevention & control; Medical education; Oral Health; Oral Hygiene - education; Oral Hygiene - psychology; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; Periodontal Diseases - epidemiology; Periodontal Diseases - prevention & control; Prevalence; Self Care; Sex Distribution; Students, Dental - psychology; Students, Dental - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tunisia - epidemiology; Tunisia
• ISSN: 1020-3397

This study is a follow-up of one made in 1998-99 on first-year dental students in Monastir. Now in their fifth year, we assessed the effect of dental studies on students' oral health practices and dental health. Of the 155 students in the first study, 140 were still enrolled. Periodontal troubles, malocclusion and dental decay affected 84.3%, 80.0% and 43.0% of the students respectively. Compared with the previous study, students had achieved a better dental health status--tooth brushing rate was much higher, prevalence of dental decay and periodontal pockets had decreased, and DMF index had improved. However, the prevalence of smoking, bleeding and calculus had not changed, and the frequency of malocclusion had increased.