Preventive practice of Mongolian dental students

Area of Science:

• Oral Health Research
• Dental Education

Background:

• Preventive dental practices are crucial for maintaining oral health.
• Assessing dental students' understanding and application of preventive care is vital for future public health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the preventive practices of Mongolian dental students.
• To identify factors influencing their preventive behaviors, including knowledge, self-perceived competency, oral self-care, and dental health status.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was administered to 79 clinical-year dental students at the Mongolian National Medical University.
• Linear and logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the relationships between various factors and preventive practices.

Main Results:

• Knowledge of preventive care and self-perceived competency significantly predicted dental students' preventive practices (P = 0.002).
• Study year, oral self-care, and Tissue Health Index (THI) were not significant predictors in the linear model.
• Logistic regression indicated that study year, knowledge, and THI were associated with higher preventive practice scores.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing dental students' knowledge, particularly in modern caries-prevention methods like fluoride, sealants, and xylitol, can improve their preventive practices.
• Integrating preventive strategies throughout the dental curriculum and fostering a supportive learning environment are recommended to train future oral health professionals effectively.