Smoking prevalence and its effect on dental health attitudes and behavior among dental students

Abstract

Objective: To determine smoking prevalence and its effect on dental health attitudes and behavior among dental students in Jordan.

Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study of 314 dental students was conducted at Jordan University of Science and Technology. Subjects were surveyed using a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to study differences between male smokers and nonsmokers only.

Results: The response rate was 83.7%, with 48% males and 52% females. The prevalence of smoking was 17.2%. Smoking was more prevalent among male students (31%) than female (4.3%). For male students, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed 6 items that were different between smokers and nonsmokers. Nonsmokers tended to brush their teeth more often than smokers (OR 8.67, 95% CI 1.66-45.25); claimed that they had never been professionally taught how to brush their teeth (OR 11.15, 95% CI 1.89-65.67); believed that they spend too much time brushing their teeth (OR 12.24, 95% CI 2.0-75.05); were more concerned about having bad breath (OR 41.86, 95% CI 3.44-58.75) and were more concerned about the color of their gums (OR 8.04, 95% CI 1.55-41.84).

Conclusions: Smoking prevalence among male dental students in Jordan was high, 7 times greater than for females. Male smokers and nonsmokers had different attitudes and oral health behaviors as indicated by the study survey.