Oral hygiene level maintenance of dental medicine students

Modern scientific literature shows that enroll in preclinical and clinical subjects at dental medicine improved oral health manners and level of oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to determinate the maintenance of oral hygiene of the dental medicine students, at “Goce Delcev” University” - Stip, Faculty of Medical Science. Forty students from Faculty of Medical Sciences - Dental Medicine were included in the study. The examinations were made twice: before listening the subject Oral Health and after, in third and the same student in fifth semester. Evaluation was made how their attitude has been changed in maintaining oral hygiene after learning about oral health. Dental plaque index (according to Silness and Löe) and Decay, Missing, Filling Teeth index (DMFT) were used to determinate the plaque level and caries teeth. In the first testing period were processed results with average value of 0.84 of Dental plaque index, in the mean while students were attending courses about oral health. The mean value of DMFT index among students was 9.72. In the second clinical examination, after one year were processed results with average value of 0.69. After one year, mean value of DMFT index among students was 7.8. There’s a significant reduction in the unhealed caries shown by the result taken from the decayed teeth which, when first examined was 1.1, and after the second examination was 0.46. Results showed that Oral Health subject has a major impact in improving the habits and manner of maintaining oral hygiene among students. Students have less plaque in fifth than third semester (after enrolled the subject). Also, students have smaller number of caries (decay), equal number of missing teeth, and higher number of filing teeth in fifth than third semester. Knowledge about oral health has important role in maintaining oral hygiene and reducingg the level of plaque and decay teeth among students of Dental Medicine. Key words: Plaque index, Missing tooth, Oral hygiene, DMFT index, Decay