Knowledge and Practice of Dental Students in Guilan University About Halitosis: A Randomized Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Halitosis (bad breath) is one of the common causes of referral to dental clinics. Dentists require adequate knowledge and good practice to evaluate and manage halitosis. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of dental students in Guilan University of Medical Sciences on halitosis. Materials and Methods: A simple randomized, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study on the knowledge and practice of dental students about halitosis in dental faculty of Guilan University of Medical Science (GUMS) was conducted. 140 subjects were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Students belonging to dental faculty of GUMS were Included and subjects unwilling for the study were excluded. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS V. 20 by Chi-squared, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), t-test, and regression analysis. Results: Mean age of subjects were 23.5 years. 53.6% subject had moderate knowledge about halitosis. The results revealed that the fifth and sixth year students had more information than the third and fourth year students (P<0.0001). Comparing the performance of female and male students indicated a better hygiene status in females. Based on Chi-squared test results, the frequency of using mouthwash was significant in terms of the academic year (P=0.049). Conclusion: The mean knowledge score of students about halitosis was moderate. Knowledge score and oral hygiene status had no significant relationship with marital status. Despite females having a significant better oral hygiene compared to males, the knowledge score about halitosis had no relation with gender. Students with higher academic grades, had significantly higher knowledge score about halitosis and maintained a significant better oral hygiene by using Chlorhexidine (CHX) mouth wash more frequently.