Oral health attitudes and behaviors of the dental students in a state university in İstanbul

Aims: Dental students have a critical role in educating their patients and relatives regarding oral health. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the changes in attitude and behavior of dental students’ during their education from preclinical to clinical classes using the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI). Methods: The Turkish translation of HU-DBI was distributed to the 537 students studying at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Health Sciences, in the 2023-2024 academic year. Results: A total of 416 students completed the survey. The total mean HU-DBI score was 6.3±1.54. The mean HU-DBI scores were significantly higher in clinical classes (6.51±1.48) compared to preclinical classes (5.82±1.61) (p=0.001; p