Abstract:
Objective: To determine the differences of self-perception of halitosis and oral hygiene practices among the medical and
dental undergraduate students.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study conducted over duration of 9 months amongst the medical and dental undergraduate
students of Bahria University Medical and Dental College. The questionnaires were distributed to 298 students. Questionnaire
employed for this study was adopted and modified from the study conducted by Khalid Almas et al. Descriptive statistics
were checked by means of percentages and frequency for all variables. Chi-square test was applied to check significant
difference among the responses given by the medical and dental undergraduate students.
Results: The response rate for the survey was about 85%. 55% of dental and 17 % of medical students were able to smell
their breath. About having examination by dentist about 73% of medical students agreed as compared to 53% of dental
students. Both medical and dental students preferred having examination done by the dentist. For management of halitosis,
dentist was preferred by 62% of the dental students, while 97% of the medical students did not agree. 62% of the dental
students preferred using traditional medications, while 82% of the medical students preferred using self-medications for
treatment.
Conclusion: The results suggest that there is not a high level of agreement among dental and medical students concerning
the detection and management of halitosis. Although large percent of the respondents claimed to be aware of dentistry, our
findings revealed low level of knowledge and attitude to Dentistry by the medical undergraduate students. Efforts should
be made towards closing this knowledge gap to attain effective oral health.