Assessing college students’ interest in university-based oral health information and services

Abstract

Objective: To assess US college students’ (1) oral health behaviors and (2) interest in university-based oral health information and services. Participants: Students at a large public university in the southeast participated in the survey (n = 102). All participants were over the age of 18 and able to speak and read English. Methods:An online quantitative survey was administered to collect information on oral health behaviors, interest in university-based oral health information and services, and sociodemographic factors. Frequencies, descriptive statistics, and bivariate analyses were utilized for this study. Results: Approximately 11% of students rated their oral health as fair/poor and 27% currently had a dental problem. Over half (53%) were interested in receiving oral health information from the university, 87% felt campus-based dental services were important, and 79% were likely to use campus-based dental services. Conclusions: College students may benefit from information and services to promote oral health within the college context.

Keywords:

• College students
• dental
• oral health behaviors

Acknowledgments

Sharon Grisanti, RDH, MCOH, and St. Petersburg College’s Dental Hygiene Students; Edward Monroy.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United State and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of South Florida.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the University of South Florida Center for Wellness, Engagement, Leadership and Learning (WELL).