Assessment of Gingival Health Status among a Group of Preclinical and Clinical Dental Students at Thamar University, Yemen

Objective: To assess the gingival health status among preclinical and clinical Yemeni dental students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on preclinical and clinical students at Thamar University. The self-reported oral health behavior of dental students with their actual gingival status was evaluated. One hundred and ninety five volunteers (115 male and 80 females with mean age (21.71+1.72) who participated in this study completed the self-reported questionnaire. Subsequently a clinical examination for their gingival conditions was assessed. The clinical examination for the participants comprised plaque index, gingival index, gingival bleeding index, and calculus index. Results: The findings of this study showed that, the gingival health status was poor among dental students with no significant difference between preclinical and clinical students (P> 0.05). Females had better oral and gingival health status than males with significant differences (P< 0.05). The relationship between Khat chewing and smoking with gingival bleeding and calculus deposits was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Preclinical and clinical dental students showed poor gingival health status. It is recommended that the educational programs and preventing dentistry curriculum should be modified in order to improve oral health care level among Yemeni dental students.