The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Dental Students’ Attitude and Habits About Oral Hygiene

Öz

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the oral hygiene behaviors and associated factors, such as COVID-19 infection history, vaccination status, smoking habits, and gender, among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 328 participants aged 18–25 years. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire that included demographic information, smoking behavior, COVID-19 history, and oral hygiene practices. Results Of the participants, 56.4% were female, and the mean age was 21.74 ± 2.21 years. A majority (87.8%) reported brushing twice daily, while only 30.5% changed their toothbrush after a COVID-19 infection. Smoking was significantly more prevalent among males (p < 0.001) and was associated with poorer oral hygiene practices. Dental floss and toothbrush cover usage were higher among females (p < 0.001 and p = 0.017, respectively). Participants who had experienced COVID-19 were more likely to adopt postinfection toothbrush replacement (p < 0.001). Most participants (76.8%) believed that good oral hygiene helps reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Conclusion Although oral hygiene awareness was generally high among young adults during the pandemic, important behavioral gaps remain, particularly in post-infection hygiene practices and among smokers. Gender differences in hygiene behavior were notable, with females demonstrating more preventive habits. Public health strategies should promote targeted oral health education focusing on infection prevention and hygiene reinforcement.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• Oral Hygiene
• Public health
• Smoking
• Toothbrushing

Kaynakça

1. 1. Pragi, Kumar V, Monika. Effects of COVID-19 on Oral Health Status: A Review. New Emirates Medical Journal. 2025;21:e02506882347799.
2. 2. World Health Organization. WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID- 19) Dashboard. 2024. Available from: https://covid19.who.int/
3. 3. González-Olmo MJ, Delgado-Ramos B, Ruiz-Guillén A, Romero- Maroto M, Carrillo-Díaz M. Oral hygiene habits and possible transmission of COVID-19 among cohabitants. BMC Oral Health. 2020;20(1):286. doi:10.1186/s12903-020-01274-5
4. 4. Peng X, Xu X, Li Y, Cheng L, Zhou X, Ren B. Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice. Int J Oral Sci. 2020;12(1):9. doi:10.1038/s41368-020-0075-9
5. 5. Hirota Y, Adachi N, Ito K, Shinada K, Kabasawa Y. Relationship between oral health literacy and changes in self-assessment of oral health during COVID-19. J Dent Sci. 2025;20(1):569-577. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2024.04.015
6. 6. Wen PYF, Chen MX, Zhong YJ, Dong QQ, Wong HM. Global Burden and Inequality of Dental Caries, 1990 to 2019. J Dent Res. 2022;101(4):392-399. doi:10.1177/00220345211056247
7. 7. Wdowiak-Szymanik A, Wdowiak A, Szymanik P, Grocholewicz K. Pandemic COVID-19 Influence on Adults' Oral Hygiene, Dietary Habits and Caries Disease-Literature Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12744. doi:10.3390/ijerph191912744
8. 8. Kinane DF, Stathopoulou PG, Papapanou PN. Periodontal diseases. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17038. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.38

9. 9. Souza NS, Magalhães AN, de Souza Damas AL, Dias AP, Versiani IG, Haikal DS. Changes in the frequency of oral hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic among teachers. Arquivos em Odontologia. 2023;8:59:3-13
10. 10. World Health Organization. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025. 3rd ed. Geneva: WHO; 2019.
11. 11. Vardavas CI, Nikitara K. COVID-19 and smoking: A systematic review of the evidence. Tob Induc Dis. 2020;18:20. doi:10.18332/tid/119324
12. 12. Preshaw P, Chambrone L, Holliday R, Ambalavanan N. Smoking and periodontal disease. In: Newman MG, Takei H, Klokkevold PR, Carranza FA, editors. Carranza’s Clinical Periodontology. 13th ed. St Louis: Elsevier; 2018. p. 267–273.
13. 13. Simons D, Shahab L, Brown J, Perski O. The association of smoking status with SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19: a living rapid evidence review with Bayesian meta-analyses (version 7). Addiction. 2021;116(6):1319-1368. doi:10.1111/add.15276
14. 14. Naghibi Sistani MM, Yazdani R, Virtanen J, Pakdaman A, Murtomaa H. Determinants of oral health: does oral health literacy matter? ISRN dentistry 2013;2013:249591. doi:10.1155/2013/249591
15. 15. Rajeh MT. Gender Differences in Oral Health Knowledge and Practices Among Adults in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Clin Cosmet Investig Dent. 2022;14:235-244.
16. 16. Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, et al. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(27):2603-2615.
17. 17. Nazir M, Al-Ansari A, Al-Khalifa K, Alhareky M, Gaffar B, Almas K. Global Prevalence of Periodontal Disease and Lack of Its Surveillance. Scientific World Journal. 2020;2020:2146160. doi:10.1155/2020/2146160
18. 18. Peltzer K, Pengpid S. Oral health behaviour and social and health factors in university students from 26 low, middle and high income countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(12):12247-12260.
19. 19. American Dental Association. Oral health and COVID-19: FAQs and guidelines. 2021 [cited 2025 Apr 4]. Available from: https://www.ada.org
20. 20. American Dental Association. Toothbrush care and hygiene. 2020. Available from: https://www.ada.org/resources/research/ science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/toothbrush-care
21. 21. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hand hygiene recommendations. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2020. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/
22. 22. Kampf G, Todt D, Pfaender S, Steinmann E. Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents [published correction appears in J Hosp Infect. 2020;104(3):246-251. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2020.01.022
23. 23. Buunk-Werkhoven YA, Dijkstra A, van der Schans CP. Determinants of oral hygiene behavior: a study based on the theory of planned behavior. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2011;39(3):250-259. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0528.2010.00589.x
24. 24. Borges Tássia Silvana, Cardoso Moisés Zacarias, Fortuna Mixianni Justo, Reuter Cézane Priscila, Imperatore Simone, Franke Silvia Isabel Rech, et al. Oral hygiene, dietary habits and prevalence of dental caries in adolescents from rural and urban areas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. SciELO journals. Dataset 2017;65(2):139-147. Doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.7515371.v1
25. 25. Meiller TF, Silva A, Ferreira SM, Jabra-Rizk MA, Kelley JI, DePaola LG. Efficacy of Listerine Antiseptic in reducing viral contamination of saliva. Journal of clinical periodontology 2005;32(4):341–346. Doi:10.1111/j.1600-051X.2005.00673.x
26. 26. Coulthard P. Dentistry and coronavirus (COVID-19) - moral decision-making. British dental journal 2020;228(7):503–505. Doi:10.1038/s41415-020-1482-1
27. 27. Sampson V, Kamona N, Sampson A. Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections? British dental journal 2020;228(12):971–975. doi: 10.1038/s41415-020-1747-8.