Association of Smartphone Usage with Oral Hygiene Neglect Among Female College Students of Namakkal District-A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The use of smartphones is increasing among the younger generation, which might adversely affect their oral hygiene and self-care practices. However, the association between smartphone usage pattern and oral hygiene neglect remains scare. Therefore the study aimed to assess the association between smartphone usage pattern and oral hygiene neglect among female college students of Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 300 female college students. The pre-validated structured self-administered questionnaire comprised regarding smartphone usage pattern, oral hygiene practices, oral health condition, and utilization of oral health care services. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test were used to association between variables at p-value <0.05.Results: Out of 300 participants with a mean age of 19.54 years (±1.15), 87.7% of students use smartphones on a daily basis, 48% use smartphones for 2-3 h and 39% use smartphones for more than 3 h daily. The duration of smartphone usage was significantly associated with brushing frequency (p=0.047). Similarly, active usage time was significantly associated with brushing frequency (p=0.004) and tooth decay (p=0.035). No significant association was found between the frequency and purpose of smartphone usage. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the duration and timing of smartphone usage had a significant association with poor oral hygiene practices among female college students. Hence, smartphone literacy along with oral health education should be promoted to prevent oral hygiene neglect.