Oral health knowledge, perceptions and behaviour among nursing students in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Aim: The purpose of the study was to investigate oral health knowledge, perceptions and behaviour amongst nursing students in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. Materials and methods: The study was conducted at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital on 244 respondents aged 17 to 40 years, using self administered structured questionnaire. Result: Respondents showed high level of oral health knowledge. Most of them (68.3%), had never visited a dentist with females accounting for 144 (67.7%) (P > 0.05). About 58.0% of the respondents brushed once a day. Majority, 155 (70.5%), of females perceived their oral health as good as against 14 (58.3%) males. Conclusion: The respondents had good oral health knowledge, but poor oral health behaviour. Importance of regular dental visit, frequent tooth brushing, should be stressed. Keywords: Oral health, knowledge, behaviour, Nursing students, tertiary hospital. Tanzania Dental Journal Vol. 14 (1) 2007: pp. 26-2