Abstract
Background: Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health and well-being, contributing significantly to quality of life, systemic health outcomes, and disease prevention. Poor oral hygiene has been associated with various local and systemic conditions, including dental caries, periodontal diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic complications. Nursing and midwifery students, as future healthcare professionals, play a vital role in promoting oral health awareness and preventive practices among patients and communities. Therefore, adequate knowledge and appropriate oral hygiene practices among these students are essential for effective health promotion. However, previous evidence suggests that a gap may exist between Oral health behavior and actual practices among healthcare students.
Objective: This study aimed to assess oral health behavior among undergraduate nursing students and Community Midwifery students, compare oral health behavior and practice scores between both groups, and determine the association between selected socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, and year of study) and oral health behavior.
Method: A comparative cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire adopted from Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and study variables. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation were applied for inferential analysis.
Results: The majority of participants were aged 21–25 years (66.9%), male (74.8%), and single (88.7%). The median oral health behavior score was 55.00 (IQR = 7.00), while the median practice score was 8.00 (IQR = 2.00), indicating moderate-to-adequate levels of awareness about oral health behavior and practices. Inferential analysis showed no statistically significant differences in behavior and practice scores across gender and age groups. However, a statistically significant weak negative correlation was observed between knowledge and practice scores (rₛ = −0.314, p < 0.001), indicating an inverse relationship.
Conclusion: The study concluded that undergraduate nursing students and midwifery students showed relatively adequate knowledge about Oral health behavior and practices, with no significant differences across socio-demographic variables. However, a significant knowledge practice gap was identified. The findings highlight the need for strengthening competency-based and behavior-focused oral health education within nursing curriculum to enhance the translation of knowledge into practice