Are Iranian Graduating Dental Students Prepared to Act As Future Role Models of Good Oral Health Behaviour? a 10-Year Study Publisher Pubmed



Khami MR^{1, 2} ; Mohebbi SZ^{1, 2} ; Dorostkar Z³ ; Keshavarz H^{4, 5} ; Bonabi M² ; Murtomaa H⁶ ; Virtanen J^{7, 8}
Source: European Journal of Dental Education Published:2023

Abstract

Introduction: Dentists by their professional knowledge of prevention have a key role in providing a positive role model for oral health-promoting behaviours. We aimed to investigate the health behaviour of Iranian senior dental students in terms of oral self-care and tobacco use during a 10-year period to assess their preparedness to act as role models for health-promoting behaviours. Materials and Methods: The study was performed in six dental schools selected through stratified cluster random sampling to have a representative sample of all dental schools in Iran. Data were collected in four occasions in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015. Senior dental students (N = 1188) were invited to voluntarily complete a self-administered anonymous questionnaire about their oral self-care and tobacco use. Recommended tooth-brushing habit (RTH) was defined as at least twice a day brushing with fluoridated toothpaste. Three separate questions about cigarette, pipe and waterpipe use were applied to assess the students' reported use of tobacco. Results: The response rate was 81%. Female students reported more frequently RTH than males (p <.001). The reported RTH was more prevalent among nonsmokers. In 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015, 22.5%, 26%, 28.5% and 24.6% of the students reported smoking, respectively. The trend of reported smoking had the least variation among female students. This was true also for male students regarding RTH. Conclusion: The status and trend of oral self-care and tobacco use among Iranian dental students call for more emphasis on adopting health-promoting behaviours during dental education. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.