Investigating the Knowledge and Practice of Dental Students in Guilan About Halitosis

Background Bad breath (halitosis) is one of the common causes of referral to dental clinics, which requires proper knowledge and practice in terms of the evaluation and treatment of by dentists. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge and practice status of dental students of Guilan-Rasht University of Medical Sciences regarding halitosis. Studies disregarded determining the awareness and health practice status in respect of bad breath in Guilan Province; thus, conducting this research was inevitable. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A researcher-made questionnaire, including knowledge, attitude, and demographic information, was distributed among all clinic-grade students. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS by Chi-squared test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Independent Samples t-test, and regression analysis. Results The mean(SD) score of the samples was 23.5(2.5) years. Most of the samples were single (95%) and in the sixth grade (31.4%). The last year’s mean(SD) GPA score of samples was 16(0.97). The majority of samples (53.6%) had moderate knowledge, 42.1% poor knowledge, and 4.3% had good knowledge about halitosis. The obtained results revealed that the fifth and sixth-year students had more information than the third and fourth-year students (P<0.0001). Comparing the performance of female and male students indicated a better hygiene status in females. Based on Chi-squared test results, the frequency of using mouthwash was significant in terms of the academic year (P=0.049). Conclusion The present study suggested that the knowledge level of dental students was moderate; thus, due to the high prevalence of halitosis, it is recommended to increase their knowledge for the evaluation and treatment of this problem. Comparing the halitosis-related knowledge score in terms of students' performance about bad breath suggested that knowledge score was only significant in both groups with and without chlorhexidine mouthwash use.