| dc.description.abstract | Oral health is a state of being free from chronic
mouth and facial pain, oral sores, oral and
throat cancers, birth defects, periodontal (gum)
diseases, tooth decay, tooth loss and other
disorders that affect the oral cavity. Unhealthy
diet, use of tobacco and alcohol, poor oral
hygiene, specific infections are among the many
causes affecting oral health. Young adults are a
risk group of people for oral diseases since most
of them are known to engage in tobacco smoking,
alcohol use and have the risk behavior of getting
exposed to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This
study assesses the knowledge, attitudes/beliefs
and practices towards oral hygiene among a
selected group of undergraduates attached
to non-medical faculties in University of Sri
Jayawardenepura. A quantitative cross-sectional
descriptive study was conducted using a self administered
questionnaire. Data was analyzed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 21. Total sample number was 341.
Majority (78.9%) showed adequate knowledge.
Almost all (97.5%) participants had positive
attitude towards oral hygiene. 74.8% in both sexes
had moderate practices towards oral hygiene. It
also showed that there is a significant correlation
(Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level)
between knowledge and attitude while there is
no significant correlation between knowledge
and practices and the attitudes and practices.
Although knowledge was adequate and their
attitudes were positive towards the oral hygiene,
most of them showed only moderate practices
which could affect oral health leading to oral
diseases. Gum bleeding, presence of white sticky
deposits on teeth, presence of bad breath was seen
in more than half of the participants. | en_US |
