Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among the undergraduate students from Dental, Medical, Nursing and Pharmacy colleges toward Toothbrush Maintenance and its Replacement in Qassim Province - A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Based Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48047/Keywords:
toothbrush, fraying, bristles, contamination, wear – out, cross-infection, mechanical plaque removal.Abstract
Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and behavior of undergraduate students
regarding toothbrush disinfection and to evaluate the attitude of undergraduate students toward
toothbrush replacement.
Materials and Methods:A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was piloted with a sample
size of 1120 undergraduate students from medical, dental, nursing, and pharmacy colleges in
Buraidah, Al- Qassim. A validated and self-administered questionnaire was distributed among
the students which consisted of questions on the sociodemographic aspect and 19 questions on
toothbrush hygiene maintenance and replacement. The data was analyzed using the statistical
package SPSS version 19.0.
Results:In the present research a total of 1,120 undergraduates had participated of which 427
undergraduates were studying dentistry, 311 were medical undergraduates, 198 were
undergraduates studying nursing, and 194 were students studying pharmacy. The knowledge of
oral health was fair among the medical, nursing, and pharmacy but good among the dental
students.
Conclusion:There is a need to promote oral health and educate the young population regarding
toothbrush maintenance and hygiene as this affects the general health of the individual. The
dearth of knowledge holds back their attitude and practices towards the maintenance of
toothbrushes consistently.
