Abstract
Background: The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has strongly affected the young population, with a significant impact on their mental health, lifestyle, and sleep. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of COVID-19 on oral health and general hygiene habits in an undergraduate medical school population.
Methods: A total of 500 participants, including pre-graduate students from the School of Medicine with a mean age of 22.84 ± 2.68 years completed an anonymous web survey. Of these, 200 belonged to the schools of dental hygiene and dentistry and 300 belonged to the medical school.
Results: Students suffered from increased stress and emotional distress, which led to an increase in weight in 48.6% of the subjects. A reduction in personal and dental hygiene (8% and 4%, respectively) was observed. Students in dentistry and dental hygiene courses were more careful about their dental hygiene. Students from the dentistry and dental hygiene courses reported an increase in the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash during quarantine (+ 15%).
Conclusion: Pandemic-related stress has affected the youth, with an increase in unhealthy lifestyle and changes in dental hygiene habits. Strong action must be taken to promote good oral hygiene habits and a healthy lifestyle among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key words: oral hygiene; COVID-19; pre-graduate students; anxiety; quarantine
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), originated in December 2019 and has rapidly spread worldwide since then. Italy was severely affected by the pandemic, reporting a high number of deaths in early March, leading the government to enforce a nationwide lockdown. The lockdown was implemented on February 23, 2020, and ended on May 3. [1] The pandemic and the associated lockdown have strongly affected the student community. The ongoing restrictions have limited the access to university facilities for students, while the schools have switched to distance learning.
Several studies have explored the psychological effects of the pandemic on students. [2,3,4,5] One of the main consequences of lockdown has been a change in lifestyle. During the lockdown, individuals switched to an unhealthy lifestyle, including poor diet and hygiene behaviors. [6,7,8,9]
In addition, several oral treatments were delayed during the pandemic. Some hospitals have promoted scientific articles on mass media to educate the public regarding oral health and strengthening the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. [9]
The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of COVID-19 on oral health and general hygiene habits in an undergraduate medical school population. The second goal was to assess whether students with higher knowledge of the benefits of good oral hygiene maintained oral hygiene habits. This endpoint was explored by comparing students from the schools of dentistry and dental hygiene with those from other medical school courses.