Self-perceived oral health among Brazilian university students: a cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the self-perceived oral health of young university students at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora and identify the associated factors. Data were collected in 2021 using a self-administered questionnaire containing questions on students' sociodemographic variables and oral health. Binary logistic regression was applied in the multivariate analysis using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software (version 20.0) for Windows. The final analysis included 1,316 students aged 17-24 years. The prevalence of negative self-perception of oral health was 14.1% (95%CI: 12.2-16.0). The following variables were associated with negative self-perception of oral health: single marital status (OR = 0.34; 95%CI: 0.12-0.98), monthly family income of up to three minimum wages (OR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.32-3.09), non-regular use of dental services (OR = 2.29; 95%CI: 1.48-3.53), dissatisfaction with the last service (OR = 1.97; 95%CI: 1.23-3.16), fear of dental treatment (OR = 1.56; 95%CI: 1.06-2.29), dissatisfaction with the appearance of teeth and mouth (OR = 5.27; 95%CI: 3.37-8.22), and perceived need for dental treatment (OR = 6.94; 95%CI:3.14-15.33). In conclusion, most young university students had a positive self-perception of oral health. However, factors related to socioeconomic profile, access to oral health services, and satisfaction with one's appearance were found to increase the likelihood of having a negative self-perception of oral health.