Oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors (KAB) of dental students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

作者：Xiaochen Jiang, Fei Wang, Weifeng Wang, Wenjuan Cao, Xueling Qiu, Chenxi Sun, Fan Sun, Lu Tang · 发表于：BMC Medical Education · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12909-025-07445-8 · 被引用次数：12 · 研究领域：Dental Health and Care Utilization、Oral microbiology and periodontitis research、Dental Research and COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Oral health is an essential component of overall health. However, it is frequently overlooked. As the main providers of oral health care, dental students play an important role in public education on oral health. The aim of this study is to integrate the oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) of dental students, and provide reference for optimizing oral health education strategies. METHODS: Pubmed, Web of science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane library and CINAHL databases were retrieved on September 15, 2024. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were meticulously adhered to throughout the literature review and data extraction process. All observational studies detailing the dental students' KAB related about oral health were included. A meta-analysis was conducted utilizing Stata17.0 software. RESULTS: Nineteen articles of moderate to high quality from 17 different countries met the eligibility criteria and involved a total of 7,747 dental students. In our review, the oral health-related KAB of dental students was at a medium level and overall mean score was 7.15 (95% CI: 6.82, 7.47); among them, students have a higher level of knowledge 3.59 (95% CI: 3.21, 3.97), but relatively few positive attitudes 1.59 (95% CI: 1.23, 1.95) and behaviors 2.20 (95% CI: 2.07, 2.34) towards oral health. Subgroup analysis revealed that KAB was higher in European regions, female, and senior dental students with clinical experience. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health-rela...