Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours of Arab Dental Students: Multi-National Cross-Sectional Study and Literature Analysis 2000–2020

Abanoub Riad, Nuraldeen Maher Al-Khanati, Julien Issa, Mazen Zenati, Nèziha Ben Abdesslem, Sameh Attia and Martin Krsek
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Abanoub Riad: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
Nuraldeen Maher Al-Khanati: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Syrian Private University, Damascus 368, Syria
Julien Issa: Faculty of Dentistry, Beirut Arab University, Tarik El Jadida, Beirut 11-50-20, Lebanon
Mazen Zenati: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Syrian Private University, Damascus 368, Syria
Nèziha Ben Abdesslem: Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Monastir, Monastir 5019, Tunisia
Sameh Attia: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstrasse 33, 35392 Giessen, Germany
Martin Krsek: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: Dental students are the future leaders of oral health in their respective communities; therefore, their oral health-related attitudes and behaviours are of practical value for primary disease prevention. The present study aimed to evaluate oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of dental students in Arab countries and explore the potential sociodemographic predictors of their oral health outcomes. A multi-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted during the academic year 2019/2020 in three Arab countries: Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia. The study used a validated Arabic version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) composed of original twenty items that assess the level of oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours, and four additional dichotomous items related to tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, problematic internet use, and regular dental check-up The HU-DBI score ranges between 0 and 12. A total of 1430 students took part in this study, out of which 60.8% were females, 57.8% were enrolled in clinical years, 24.5% were tobacco smokers, 7.2% were alcohol drinkers, and 87% reported internet addiction. The mean HU-DBI score was 6.31 ± 1.84, with Lebanon having the highest score (6.67 ± 1.83), followed by Syria (6.38 ± 1.83) and Tunisia (6.05 ± 1.83). Clinical students (6.78 ± 1.70) had higher HU-DBI scores than their preclinical peers (5.97 ± 1.86). The year-over-year analysis revealed that dental public health and preventive dentistry courses had significantly and positively impacted the undergraduate students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. The gender-based differences were not statistically significant, with a modest trend favouring males, especially oral health behaviours. Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and problematic internet use were associated with lower HU-DBI scores. In the Arab world, the economic rank of the country where the dental students live/study was weakly correlated with the students’ mean HU-DBI score.

Keywords: Arab Countries; dental education; dental students; health knowledge; attitudes; practice; Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory—HU-DBI; Lebanon; oral health; oral hygiene; Syria; Tunisia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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