ABSTRACT
Background: Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain behavior, it gives the reasons for people's action, desires, and needs, and it drives an individual to a certain action and determines human behavior. Aim: To determine the effect of motivation on oral hygiene and caries status among young adults in Hyderabad city. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 18–20-year-old engineering college students of Nagole Institute of Technology and Sciences. Materials and Methods: Intrinsic motivation was evaluated using a self-reported 12-item dental intrinsic motivation scale (DIM-S). The oral examination included simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) and decayed, missing, filled teeth index (DMFT index). Statistical Analysis Used: Mann–Whitney U-test and ANOVA test were used for comparison among the variables included in the study. Spearman's correlation was used to correlate DIM-S with oral parameters. Results: A total of 393 students participated in the study with majority of them being male (61.8%). It was observed that 69% of the students were extrinsically motivated and only 31% of them were intrinsically motivated. However, intrinsically motivated females had a higher significant score for calculus index–simplified and OHI-S scores. All oral parameters showed a negative correlation, except decayed component and the overall DMFT. However, no statistical significance was noticed among the variables. Conclusion: The present study revealed that to motivate people successfully, one not only has to give them information but also has to pay attention to the individual reasons which restrict their behavior.