Evaluation the awareness of using brushing and interdental cleaning aids among dental students in Najaf city, Iraq

Background: The consensus is that overall health is significantly impacted by oral health. It is anticipated that dental students will have a strong understanding of oral health. The aim of this preliminary pilot study was to evaluate of the awareness of using tooth brushing and interdental cleaning aids between dental students from 1st grade to 5th grade in Najaf city, Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study and questionnaire with 12 questions was based on the use of brushing tongue and interdental cleaning aids were conducted among 1st grade to 5th grade dental students in Alkafeel university, college of dentistry, Najaf, Iraq from February to May 2025. Chi-square test was used to analyze the data using SPSS Statistics V.24. Results: This study found that there is a gradual increase in the awareness of using the brush and interdental cleaning aids between dental students from 1st grade to the 5th grade. The final grade dental students showed highly improvement than other dental students, especially in the frequency of brushing 98%, use of the floss (interdental cleaning aids) 65.3% and the use of tongue cleaning 22.5%. Conclusions: This study ensures that the oral health knowledge, status and behavior between dental students are very important, acting as a model for dental health workers and dentists, working with each other to improve oral health using tooth brushing and interdental cleaning aids