Comparison of Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude & Practice among Dental versus Medical Students

Objective: The objective of study was to compare oral health knowledge, attitude and practice scores between medical and dental students of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: It was cross-sectional study conducted at private medical and dental college of Karachi, Pakistan from Jul 2018-Jul 2019. Hundred medical and 100 dental students of age 22-26 years of either gender, enrolled in 2nd year of their medical and dental school were recruited for the study by using non-probability convenience sampling technique. The adapted questionnaire was used which consist of 16 items to assess knowledge, attitude and practice regarding oral health. SPSS version 23 was used to analyse data. Results: The mean age of participants was reported as 22.77 years. Among all medical students, the high mean knowledge score was observed for brushing timings (0.90), for attitude, the high mean score for use of floss/interdental brush was reported (4.41). Among all the dental students, the high mean score was observed for knowledge of brushing timings, frequency of replacing toothbrush and amount of toothpaste on your brush (0.93). According to attitude, high mean score for use of mouthwash was reported (4.45) followed by method of tooth brushing (4.35). According to practice the high mean score was reported for treatment of gum problems as 4.51. The knowledge, attitude and practice score of dental students were significantly high as compared to medical students (p<0.05). Among males, knowledge and attitude of dental students were significantly high as compared to medical students (p<0.05), whereas no significant difference was found between practice score. Among females, knowledge, attitude and practice score of dental students were significantly high as compared to medical students (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study ascertained that knowledge, attitude and practice regarding oral health was better in dental students as compared to medical students.