University College of Medicine and Dentistry (UCMD), The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Dow International Dental College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Sep 3;24(1):1031. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04805-6.
Dental students face the rigorous demands of coursework, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and stress. These pressures can negatively influence self-efficacy and cause neglect in practicing healthy behaviors that encompass oral health. Identifying the associations of these variables with oral hygiene practices can help in the formulation of interventions tailored toward supporting young students. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of health behaviors, perceived stress and self-efficacy on oral hygiene practices among undergraduate dental students in Pakistan.
A national online survey was carried out among 904 students across the dental colleges of Pakistan. The survey assessed general health behaviors such as tobacco use, sleep, and exercise, among other demographic variables. Perceived stress was evaluated via the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and self-efficacy was evaluated via the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Twice daily brushing, brushing for 2 min, and changing toothbrushes after 3 months informed oral hygiene practice of the participants.
The students experienced moderate perceived stress (20.82 ± 5.92) and high self-efficacy (29.19 ± 5.43). The majority of participants were in their third year (31.9%), were female (65.9%), and resided in home during their studies (64.4%). Perceived stress was observed to have no significant effect on the oral practice of participants. Female gender, non tobacco user, regular exercise, frequent dental visits and higher self-efficacy were associated with good oral hygiene practices.
The results highlight the importance of addressing stress, enhancing self-efficacy and encouraging healthy behaviors among dental students to improve their oral health, which could be reflected in their professional practice and personal well-being. This study contributes to the understanding of behavioral determinants and emphasizes the need for supportive measures to foster better health behaviors in future dental professionals.
牙科学生面临着课程作业的严格要求，这可能导致他们感到不称职和压力。这些压力会对自我效能感产生负面影响，并导致他们忽视实践涵盖口腔健康的健康行为。确定这些变量与口腔卫生习惯的关联有助于制定针对支持年轻学生的干预措施。因此，本研究旨在调查巴基斯坦本科牙科学生的健康行为、感知压力和自我效能感对口腔卫生习惯的影响。
在巴基斯坦的牙科院校中，通过全国在线调查对 904 名学生进行了调查。该调查评估了一般健康行为，如吸烟、睡眠和运动，以及其他人口统计学变量。使用感知压力量表（PSS-10）评估感知压力，使用一般自我效能感量表（GSES）评估自我效能感。两次/天刷牙、刷牙 2 分钟和每 3 个月更换牙刷，以此来评估参与者的口腔卫生习惯。
学生们经历了中等程度的感知压力（20.82±5.92）和较高的自我效能感（29.19±5.43）。大多数参与者处于三年级（31.9%），是女性（65.9%），并且在学习期间居住在家庭中（64.4%）。感知压力对参与者的口腔实践没有显著影响。女性、非吸烟者、经常锻炼、经常看牙医和更高的自我效能感与良好的口腔卫生习惯有关。
研究结果强调了在牙科学生中解决压力、增强自我效能感和鼓励健康行为的重要性，这可以反映在他们的专业实践和个人幸福感中。本研究有助于理解行为决定因素，并强调需要采取支持性措施，以培养未来牙科专业人员的更好健康行为。
