ASSESSMENT OF PERCEPTION AND EXTENT OF ORAL HYGIENE PRACTICE AMONG COMILLA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BY A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Knowledge of oral health is a fundamental prerequisite for healthy behavior, allowing individuals to take
measures to protect their overall health. To examine the perception and extent of oral hygiene behavior, this
study was conducted among current 227 Students of Comilla University within age range of 18-27 years
irrespective of gender, religion, and customs. IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0, the Statistical Package for
Social Sciences, was used for the analysis with a 95% CI, and the significance level was set at p< 0.05.
Among the participants of this study, the majority were female (61.9%). Dental visits were significantly
influenced by age (p<0.05) where the students whose ages were 18-22 years had 0.242 times [AOR=0.242;
95% CI: 0.070-0.826] less dental visit history than those of more than 25 years. Respondents having dental
problems (p<0.05) including, dental cavities, dental caries, and toothache were more likely to visit dentists
compared to the students who didn’t have any dental problems (AOR=11.026; 95% CI: 3.747-32.440,
AOR= 8.768; 95% CI: 1.501-51.191, and AOR=7.132; 95% CI: 2.021-25.163 respectively). More than half
(55.9%) of the students had gum bleeding while brushing and are 2 times more likely to visit a dentist than
those who didn’t. Regarding oral hygiene practices, including type of toothbrush, brushing frequency, and
using oral aids, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in dental visits except for using toothpicks
[AOR=0.283; 95% CI: 0.121-0.654]. Future studies are needed to determine whether this framework is
supported by empirical data and leads to improvements in oral health.