# Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Erosive Tooth Wear Among Students of a Portuguese University: Pilot Survey

## TL;DR

This study surveyed Portuguese university students about their knowledge and attitudes toward erosive tooth wear, finding that dental students had higher knowledge and more positive attitudes than non-medical students.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into the knowledge and attitudes of university students toward erosive tooth wear using a bilingual online survey.

## Key findings

- Dental students had significantly higher knowledge and more positive attitudes toward erosive tooth wear than non-medical students.
- There was a moderate level of knowledge among students, with significant differences between dental and non-medical students.
- The survey highlighted the need for educational measures to improve attitudes toward erosive tooth wear among all students.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: To assess and compare the knowledge of and attitudes toward erosive tooth wear (ETW) among university students at the Portuguese University Fernando Pessoa (UFP). Methods: Cross-sectional, prospective pilot study approved by the UFP-Ethics Committee for a bilingual (English and Portuguese) online self-administered questionnaire displayed to all UFP students of the 2023–2024 academic year. Two groups were recruited, dental students (DSs) and non-medical students (NMSs), based on a convenience sample of 344 students. Participants voluntarily answered demographic questions, 15 true/false/do not know questions between knowledge of ETW, and 10 positive statements to score the attitude toward ETW based on a 5-point Likert scale. Differences in scores for DSs and NMSs groups by non-parametric tests and the correlation between knowledge of and attitudes by the Pearson coefficient were considered significant for p < 0.05. Results: A total of 251 (72.9%) students participated, but only 245 (71.2%) fulfilled the survey. The knowledge and attitude scores of the DSs (Md = 12.0; IQR 11.0–13.0 and Md = 43.0; IQR 40.0–48.0) were higher (p < 0.001; p = 0.019) than those of NMSs (Md = 8.0; IQR 6.0–10.0 and Md = 41.0; IQR 38.0–46.0). The attitudes score showed similar (p > 0.05) results for gender, age, nationality, and curricular year. Moderate level of knowledge was higher (p < 0.001) for DSs (Md = 12.0, IQR 11.0–12.0) than for NMSs (Md = 10.0, IQR 9.0–10.0) students. DSs and NMSs revealed differences in attitude level distribution (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This survey highlighted the need for knowledge on ETW among NMSs, but especially the high need for measures to promote more positive attitudes toward ETW among all university students, DSs, and NMSs. It provided valuable insights into the demographic characteristics, response rate, knowledge, and attitude scores of ETW with the implementation of multicenter designs applied to similar populations being important for future research.