Abstract:
Background
Oral hygiene is vital to overall health, yet many adults neglect proper practices, leading to conditions like dental caries, periodontal disease, and systemic issues. Despite available dental services, poor oral hygiene remains common among adults. This increases the risk of infections, tooth loss, chronic pain, and costly treatments. Identifying associated factors is key to developing effective interventions.
Objectives: To assess oral hygiene practices and factors associated among adults attending the Dental Health Service and Training Center of Addis Ababa University.
Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 adult patients attending the Dental Health Service and Training Center of Addis Ababa University from December 2024 to January 2025. Participants were selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected via interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. Data were cleaned and analysed using STATA version 13. Oral hygiene practices were categorized as good or poor based on the respondents' scores relative to the mean score of 4.397. Those with scores above 4.397 were considered to have good oral hygiene, while those with scores below this threshold were categorized as having poor oral hygiene. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with oral hygiene practice, with variables showing a p-value ≤0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 410 adult patients participated in the study, including 236 (57.56%) females and 174 (42.44%) males. Overall, 209 (50.98%) of the study participants had poor oral hygiene practices. Increasing with age (AOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.29 - 0.75), having a college or university education (AOR: 2.75, 95% CI: 1.48 - 5.13), good oral health knowledge (AOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.27 - 2.95), and a positive attitude towards oral hygiene (AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.03 - 2.53) were significantly associated with good oral hygiene practice.
Conclusion and recommendation:
The study revealed the prevalence of poor oral hygiene is high despite the availability of dental services. The findings indicate that factors beyond clinical care—such as age, educational level, oral health knowledge, and attitudes toward oral hygiene—significantly influence oral hygiene practices. Based on these findings, the study underscores the need for comprehensive oral health education programs and targeted interventions aimed at enhancing oral health knowledge and fostering positive attitudes. Such efforts are essential to improve oral hygiene behaviours across various sociodemographic groups.