Participants
Participants completed an anonymous web-based survey from March 24 to May 3, 2020, after agreeing to an electronic informed consent request. The survey took 20 min to complete. A total of 500 participants recruited from the university of …… (Italy) (pre-graduate students from School of Medicine), with a mean age of 22.84 ± 2.68 years (range 19–24 years), completed the survey. Two hundred students belonged to the schools of dental hygiene and dentistry, and the remaining 300 belonged to the school of medicine. None of the participants reported any symptoms of COVID-19.
Questionnaire . A 34-question, multiple-choice questionnaire was prepared. After providing informed consent, the participants completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four sections concerning demographic information, changes in diet, physical activity and sleep during quarantine, ways of coping with the lockdown, and changes in personal and dental hygiene behaviors during quarantine. This analysis focused on dental hygiene habits. The questions explored the frequency of tooth brushing, frequency of use of oral mouthwash, type of mouthwash, toothpaste, and toothbrush used before and during quarantine (that is, “how many times a day did you brush your teeth before quarantine?” and “how many times a day did you brush your teeth during quarantine?”).
We also asked about self-perception of stress, fear, stigma, and anxiety. Eating for coping and drinking for coping were also investigated.