A comparative study of oral health in preclinical and clinical years of undergraduate dental students of Peshawar by using (DMFT) index.

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aim was to compare oral health status among the undergraduate dental students of the preclinical and clinical years. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative survey. Setting: Preclinical and clinical Dental students of all dental colleges of district Peshawar. Period: 15 December 2016 to 14 May 2017. Material & Methods: Clinical examination was conducted among the undergraduate students in all the dental colleges of district Peshawar. The sample was drawn from both the preclinical first year and the clinical final years. Examination was done to evaluate decayed tooth component of DMFT. The questionnaire included demographic details and questions on the students’ oral health practices. A clinical oral examination was done to evaluate decayed tooth component of DMFT. Data Analysis and Results: Chi-square analysis was performed for group comparisons of data. Statistically there is a trend of significance (0.074). In the pre-clinical group almost 66.3% of students had bad oral health status while in the clinical group comparatively a low percent of students (33.7%) had poor oral health status. Conclusion: Oral health status and oral hygiene practices of dental students had improved as they advances towards clinical years.