DOI: 10.33808/clinexphealthsci.1934697 ISSN: 2459-1459

Association Between Field of Study and Subjective Halitosis Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Fatih Çapan, Rian Dişçi, Beyza Bozoklu, Duygu Yaman
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Objective: This study evaluated the association between field of study and subjective halitosis (SH) prevalence, dental anxiety, dental fear, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among university students in Türkiye.Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in 2022 included 881 volunteers (480 dental students) who completed an online questionnaire assessing their subjective evaluations of halitosis (SH) and related factors. Translated Turkish versions of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI), Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), Dental Fear Scale (DFS), and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were also utilized. Descriptive statistics and frequency tables were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables between students from different fields of study and between participants with and without SH.Results: The prevalence of SH was 24.6% in the study population. SH was significantly associated with field of study, oral hygiene behaviors, smoking, stress, dry mouth, postnasal drip, HU-DBI, DFS, and OHIP-14 scores (p < .05). Field of study was associated with differences in oral hygiene practices and education, smoking, dry mouth, postnasal drip, HU-DBI, MDAS, DFS, and OHIP-14 scores (p < .05). Senior dental students demonstrated significantly better oral hygiene, higher HU-DBI scores, and lower DFS scores than both non-dental peers and first-year dental students; additionally, they had significantly lower MDAS and OHIP-14 scores than non-dental peers (p < .05).Conclusion: Approximately one-quarter of students reported SH, which was associated with poorer OHRQoL. Dental education was associated with lower SH, dental anxiety, and dental fear, and better oral health awareness and OHRQoL. Potential factors influencing halitosis perception should be considered. Overall, these findings suggest that integrating oral health promotion and stress management into university curricula may benefit Turkish young adults.

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