TY - JOUR T1 - Evaluation of the Effect of Having a Dental Intern on Family Members’ Knowledge of Oral Hygiene and Fluoride: A Cross-Sectional Survey TT - Stajyer Diş Hekimlerinin Ağiz Hijyeni Uygulamalari Ve Florür Tutumlari Üzerine Etkisi AU - Hato, Esra AU - İmrendi Yergin, Bilge AU - Erkmen Almaz, Merve AU - Arıkan, Volkan PY - 2026 DA - July Y2 - 2026 DO - 10.7126/cumudj.1827303 JF - Cumhuriyet Dental Journal JO - Cumhuriyet Dent J PB - Sivas Cumhuriyet University WT - DergiPark SN - 1302-5805 SP - 287 EP - 294 VL - 29 IS - 2 LA - en AB - Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of having a dentist on the family-on-family members' knowledge of oral hygiene and fluoride. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire based on a previously published survey was used to conduct a cross-sectional observational study. The survey form was uploaded online via Google Forms. A total of 232 participants took part in our study by completing the survey. Participants were divided into two groups: Group I: Family members of dentist’s interns and Group II: Family members of pediatric patients presenting to the pediatric dentistry clinic for routine checkups. IBM SPSS 25 software was used for all analyses. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum) were provided in this study. Results: Group I had a higher level of education. Participants were observed to brush their teeth twice daily for an average of 2 minutes. No differences were found between the groups in terms of brushing duration, timing, toothbrush type, or fluoride paste use (p>0.05). Regarding toothbrush replacement frequency, those reporting changing their toothbrush every 1-3 months were more likely to be in Group I, while those reporting changing their toothbrush every 3-6 months were more likely to be in Group II (p=0.039). Conclusions: Having a dental intern in the family generally resulted in positive changes in oral hygiene habits and fluoride intake compared to the other group. Easy access to information and access to information from reliable sources, such as those trained in oral hygiene, may have contributed to this result. KW - Oral Hygiene KW - fluorides KW - Students KW - Dental KW - family N2 - Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, ailede stajyer diş hekimi bulunmasının aile üyelerinin ağız hijyeni ve florür konusundaki bilgilerine etkisini değerlendirmektir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Katılımcıların kendilerinin doldurması için daha önce yayınlanmış bir anket kullanıldı. Anket formu Google-Form aracılığı ile link üzerinden dağıtıldı. Çalışmamıza 232 kişi katıldı. Katılımcılar diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin aile üyeleri ve rutin muayene için gelen çocuk hastaların ebeveynleri olarak 2 gruba ayrıldı. Tüm analizler IBM SPSS 25 paket programı kullanılarak yapıldı. Bu çalışmada tanımlayıcı istatistikler (sayı, yüzde, ortalama, standart sapma, minimum ve maksimum) sunuldu. Bulgular: Katılımcıların dişlerini günde 2 kez fırçaladığı, 1-2 dakika süre ile dişlerini fırçaladığını ve en çok yatmadan önce fırçaladıklarını belirtmiştir. Gruplar arasında diş fırça değiştirme sıklığı açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulundu (p=0.039). 1-3 ayda bir değiştirdiğini ifade edenlerin daha çok Grup I’de, 3-6 ayda bir değiştirdiğini ifade edenlerin daha çok Grup II’de yer aldığı görüldü. Florür uygulamasının ağız sağlığı açısından faydalı olduğuna inananların çoğunluğunun Grup I’de yer alırken, bilmeyen ve zararlı olduğuna inanların çoğunluğunun da Grup II’de yer almaktadır (p<0.001). Sonuç: Ailede stajyer diş hekimi olması, olmayan gruba kıyasla genel olarak ağız hijyeni alışkanlıklarında ve florür alımında olumlu değişikliklerin gerçekleşmesini sağlamıştır. 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