ABSTRACT
Background & Objective: Oral health is essential for general health and well-being throughout life and is a marker for overall health status. Poor oral health can have a significant effect on quality of life. Oral health behavior plays an important role in maintaining optimal oral health. Awareness regarding it can lead to the enhancement of oral health. Aim is to evaluate the Oral hygiene knowledge, attitude and practices among Dental and Medical students in Kanpur City. Methodology: The present study is a cross sectional descriptive survey. 400 students were selected from dental and medical colleges of Kanpur city as the targeted population for the study. Convenience sampling technique was used. A pre- tested, self-structured, close- ended questionnaire consisting of 15 questions was administered to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding oral hygiene to the targeted population. The data was collected, compiled and then percentage and frequency distribution were calculated. Results: It was seen that 80% dental students and 67% medical students considered that oral health is a part of overall health. It was also seen that the frequency of tooth brushing among dental students was found to be 100% twice a day and amongst medical students it was 51% twice a day. Finally the visit to the dentist in every 6 months amongst dental students was higher (100%) than the medical students (35%). Conclusion: From the study conducted, we can conclude that the awareness regarding knowledge and behaviours amongst dental and medical students was found to be satisfactory. Hence, there is a need for implementation of more preventive programs immediately on oral health promotion which can further help in increasing the knowledge, attitude and practices of the students.