ASSESSMENT OF ORAL HYGIENE STATUS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Oral hygiene is an important component of overall health, while inadequate oral hygiene practices may contribute to poor oral health outcomes. University students experience changes in lifestyle and health-related behaviors that may influence their oral hygiene status. This study assessed oral hygiene status and examined its association with oral hygiene practices and sociodemographic factors among undergraduate university students.

Objective: To assess oral hygiene status using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and determine the association of oral hygiene practices and sociodemographic factors with oral hygiene status among undergraduate students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students at IQRA National University–Swat Campus, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, from February 2024 to July 2024. A sample of 306 students was selected from a population of 1,500 undergraduate students using simple random sampling. Students aged 18–25 years who met the eligibility criteria were included. Oral hygiene status was assessed using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), categorized as good, fair, or poor. Data regarding toothbrushing frequency, brushing duration, and use of oral hygiene aids were collected through a structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Descriptive statistics, chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests, and binary logistic regression were used. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: The mean age of participants was 21.41 ± 1.79 years. Of the 306 participants, 168 (54.9%) were male and 138 (45.1%) were female. Overall, 52 (17.0%) participants had good oral hygiene, 171 (55.9%) had fair oral hygiene, and 83 (27.1%) had poor oral hygiene. Toothbrushing frequency was significantly associated with oral hygiene status (χ²=23.84, p<0.001), with mean OHI-S scores of 2.42 ± 0.98 among students brushing once daily, 1.86 ± 0.84 among those brushing twice daily, and 1.58 ± 0.71 among those brushing three or more times daily (p<0.001). Brushing duration was also significantly associated with oral hygiene status (χ²=11.66, p=0.020), with higher mean OHI-S scores among students brushing for less than one minute (2.39 ± 0.99) compared with those brushing for 1–2 minutes (1.98 ± 0.88) or more than two minutes (1.76 ± 0.81; p=0.002). In adjusted logistic regression, male sex (adjusted OR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.02–2.86, p=0.041), age 24–25 years (adjusted OR=3.08, 95% CI: 1.39–6.84, p=0.006), brushing once daily (adjusted OR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.54–4.25, p<0.001), and brushing for less than one minute (adjusted OR=2.31, 95% CI: 1.36–3.92, p=0.002) were significantly associated with higher odds of poor oral hygiene.

Conclusion: Fair and poor oral hygiene were common among the undergraduate students included in this study. Toothbrushing frequency and duration were significantly associated with oral hygiene status, while selected sociodemographic factors were also independently associated with poor oral hygiene. These findings highlight the need for targeted oral health education and promotion of appropriate toothbrushing practices among university students.