Assessment of Oral Health Attitude, Knowledge and Behavior among Nursing Students of Karad Taluka

Nurses play an essential role in the society to improve public awareness about general and oral health. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess knowledge of nursing students and their attitude towards oral health, and examine their oral health-related behavior among nursing students of Karad taluka, Maharashtra. Method: The present study was carried out among 300 nursing students of Karad taluka, Maharashtra. The questionnaire was self-prepared and consisted of 15 questions related to oral health attitude, knowledge and behavior, and was distributed to the participants. The data obtained was then statistically analyzed and the frequency and percentage of the data for all three sections was obtained using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 16. Result: Out of 300 nursing students, 175 (58.33%) were aware of different techniques used for brushing teeth and 135 (45%) students brushed their teeth twice daily. All the students (100%) preferred using toothbrush and toothpaste as a cleaning aid. Conclusion: The current study concluded that most of the studied students had satisfactory basic knowledge about oral health. The students showed positive attitude towards oral health.