Hygienic status and individual oral hygiene habits of students at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi

AIM. To determine the hygiene status and personal hygiene habits of Vietnamese students studying at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hanoi.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The survey included 199 students (89 male, 110 female). Among them, 49 were second-year students, 41 were third-year students, 52 were fourth-year students, and 57 were fifth-year students. All participants were students at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. The mean age of respondents was 22 years. An anonymous questionnaire was administered in paper format in respondent’s native language (Vietnamese). The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions, students could select multiple options from predefined answers or write in their preferences. Responses were statistically analyzed using StatTech software version 4.5.0 (Russian Federation).

RESULTS. When assessing hygiene indices, the average OHI-S score of those surveyed was 0.63 ± 0.72 (0.00÷3.83), which is interpreted as a good level of hygiene. Significant differences in scores were found depending on age and year of study. The average age of students with good and average hygiene levels was 23 years, while the average age of those surveyed with poor hygiene levels was 20 years (p = 0.018). When assessing the level of hygiene relative to the year of study, a significant decrease in the number of students with very poor, poor, and average levels was found from the second to the fourth year, while the number of students with a good level of hygiene increased (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS. Despite the fact that most students at Hanoi Dental University have a good level of hygiene, some students require improvement. This is a group of students to whom a dentist should pay more attention when conducting educational programs.

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