Dental Caries, Periodontal Status, and Lifestyle Connections: Examining the Moderating Effects of Sleep, Smoking, Diet, and Mealtime Routines

<b>Background</b>: Lifestyle habits such as sleep, hygiene, or eating conducts are nowadays suffering from a lack of consistency, and this situation is being linked to systemic and mental health consequences. Nevertheless, not enough attention has been paid to investigate the plausible relation between lifestyle habits and oral health, and hence, this investigation aims to study the possible effects of certain lifestyle conducts on oral health in dental students. <b>Methods</b>: A sample of 195 dental students was gathered and basic sociodemographic data (gender, age, and nationality), hygiene habits, as well as data related to smoking, adherence to healthy habits, and daily schedule constancy were recorded. Oral health, with reference to decayed, missing, and filled teeth, was recorded using the DMFT index and bleeding upon probing (BOP). The Healthy Lifestyle Scale (EVS) was utilized to record sleep, smoking, and mealtime and diet characteristics. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations, a hierarchical linear regression model, and moderation analysis were performed. <b>Results:</b> The present evidence showed a direct relation between healthy lifestyle habits and oral health indicators. Respect to mealtime routines (MT), correct sleep hygiene habits (SR) and eating a balanced diet (BD) exert a moderator effect on caries and smoking. Smoking shows a positive correlation with the number of filled teeth and BOP. <b>Conclusions:</b> Findings suggest that healthy lifestyle habits are related to better oral health status. In addition, correct sleep hygiene habits, a balanced diet, and a mealtime schedule can act as a moderator factor between caries and smoking.