Comparison of oral hygiene practices and oral health problems among smoker and non-smoker male adolescents in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveTo compare oral hygiene practices and self-reported oral health problems among smoker and non-smoker male high school students in Dammam, Al-khobar and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.Materials and methodsCross sectional study design was employed. The study sample (453) was calculated and participants were randomly selected from public high schools. Pilot tested questionnaire was distributed among participants of the study. Descriptive and analytical statistics generated using SPSS version 22. Statistical significance involved using a p-value of <0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of smoking among teenagers (15–19 years) was about 20.2%. Almost 61.9% (197) of non-smokers had excellent grades compared to 42% (33) of smokers. About 64.5% (258) of the respondents used tooth brushing and 62.5% (244) used miswak and 23.6% (91) of them visited dentist for regular checkup. The comparison of oral hygiene practices between smokers and non-smokers revealed no statistically significant differences. Almost half of the teenagers had bleeding gums and tooth sensitivity, and were dissatisfied with the appearance of their teeth. Self-reported tooth sensitivity was higher among smokers (64%) compared with non-smokers (43%) (p-value 0.001). Similarly, more smokers exhibited dryness of mouth than non-smokers and the difference was statistically significant (p-value 0.007).ConclusionThere is high prevalence of smoking among adolescents. No significant differences were observed between smokers and non-smokers regarding oral hygiene practices. However, tooth sensitivity and dryness of mouth were more common in smokers than non-smokers. Smoking cessation programs should be introduced in schools.