engleski

Evaluation of oral hygiene habits in high-school students in Kutina, Rovinj and Zagreb

The basic condition for keeping teeth healthy is an educated and motivated patietnt. According to a questionnaire collected from 302 student, aged 17-19 years, from Zagreb, Rovinj and Kutina the interviewers have found that student do not have the basic knowledge on oral hygiene and both protection and prevention of their teeth. In fact, 31% of them had never learned how to brush teeth properly, and most of them had parents as their instructors instead of dentist. Though a lot of student have been educated how to brush teeth properly, the 70% of them clean their teeth twice a day or more often, but 80% of them do not use dental floss. Although the students' perception of oral health is relativeliy high, their perception of oral diseases is quite low. In fact those who were better educated about oral diseases and prevention did not practice prevetive measures more often. It has been related to unrealistic optimism, the tendency to perceive negative events and risks as less likely and positive events as more likely to oneself than to others.

oral hygiene; students; education; motivation

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