Oral Health Status (DMFT Index) and Hygiene Practices Among Dental Students in Bulgaria: A Pilot Study
Boryana Levterova, Zlatina Tomova, Desislav Tomov, Yordanka Uzunova

TL;DR
This study examines the oral health and hygiene practices of dental students in Bulgaria, finding that despite frequent dental visits, rural students have worse oral health outcomes.
Contribution
The study identifies residence as a significant factor influencing oral health among dental students in Bulgaria.
Findings
73.2% of students visited the dentist in the past six months, with higher rates among females.
Rural students had significantly higher DMFT scores compared to urban students.
Smoking was prevalent (45.3%), but no significant associations were found between lifestyle habits and DMFT.
Abstract
Background: As a fundamental component of general health, oral health is of significant global concern, with the global burden of dental diseases continuing to rise. Dentists are expected not only to provide clinical care but also to model healthy behaviours and promote oral health through education and advocacy. The knowledge, attitudes and practices of dental students—which represent critical elements of their professional development—play a pivotal role in shaping their future clinical behaviour. However, the extant literature suggests considerable variability in these domains, thus indicating that dental students do not always demonstrate the exemplary oral health practices expected of them. Objectives: The objective of the preliminary study was to assess the oral health practices, utilisation of preventive care, and factors influencing the oral health status of dental students at…
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsDental Health and Care Utilization · Oral microbiology and periodontitis research · Health, psychology, and well-being
