The Effect of Dental Anxiety Levels of Medical Faculty Students on Oral Hygiene Behaviors

Aim: Aimed to evaluate the effect of dental anxiety levels students at Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty Medicine on oral hygiene behaviors. Materials and Methods: It is descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out between September-October 2021. was applied online 216 volunteers from class I-V students. Students were asked about their sociodemographic characteristics, behaviors Corah Dental Anxiety Scale(C-DAS). The C-DAS questionnaire in 5-point Likert type consisting 4 questions (Min:4-max:20 points). Analyzes made with SPSS 25 program. Descriptive statistics, independent sample T-test performed. Results: 50%(n=108) women. 78.2%(n=169) had never smoked. 33.3%(n=72) them started brushing regularly before age six. 58.8%(n=127) teeth least twice a day. rate brushed correctly 49.5% (n=107). Only 24.5%(n=53) changed toothbrush every three months. Students' use additional tools other than toothbrushes respectively; toothpick (37.5%, n=81), floss (32.4%, n=70), mouthwash (26.9%, n=58), interface brush (6%, n=13), miswak (3.7%, n=8). mean score 8.8±3.7(min:4-max:20). significantly higher for female (9.5±3.7) males (8.0±3.5) (p=0.004) those who toothache (9.5±4.1) last year others (8.1±3.2) (p=0.007). There no significant difference day or more(p=0.556). score(p=0.280). Conclusion: found be women year. determined that did not affect behavior.