18th Annual Student Research Conference
Human Potential and Performance
Dental Hygiene Comparisons among College Students Majoring in Exercise Science, Health Science, and Other Fields
Sara M. Pollock
Dr. Jerry Mayhew and Dr. Janice Clark Young, Faculty Mentors
This study examined the dental habits among three groups of college students at a small Midwestern university. Exercise science majors (ES, n=104), health science majors (HS, n=46), and other majors (UN, n=185) were assessed using a 15-question dental hygiene survey. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between majors only for use of an electric toothbrush. Females were significantly different from males on 4 of 15 questions. 90% of females brushed twice or more per day, compared to 73% of males. 23% of females flossed 4-7 times/week compared to 17% of males. While 3% of males used smokeless tobacco, less than 1% of females did. 53% of females wore braces at one time in their life, whereas 42% of males wore them. This research shows that the dental hygiene habits for ES and HS majors are no different than the habits exhibited by students in non-health majors.
Keywords: Dental Hygiene, College Students
Topic(s):Health Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 29-44
Location: OP Lobby & Atrium
Time: 1:15