Evaluation of the relationship between bad breath awareness and oral health awareness in Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry students.

Halitosis refers to the presence of an unpleasant odor in the breath. Oral malodor is a term used for bad breath originating from the mouth. The production of the foul-smelling volatile sulfur compounds, as a result of degradation of organic substances by anaerobic bacteria, is considered to be the main etiology of halitosis. Halitosis can be subdivided into intra-oral and extra-oral halitosis, depending on the place where it originates..Halitosis is not only associated the oral and dental health, it is also an important factor affecting the social life of the individual. Based on the repots oral region is responsible for 80% -90% of halitosis. Dental anxiety is defined as the reaction to the specific stresses which develop in relation to the dental procedures in patients. Oral health related life quality is a concept that gives information about how wellness of a person is affected by psychological, social, functional factors and orofacial problems. Because of the patients with dental anxiety tend to delay or completely avoid dental visits, dental and oral problems could become serious. Oral health and oral health related quality of life of the patients may be well affected by this situation. Since the students of faculty of dentistry have a stressful, intensive, and practice-based educational program, in this process, important changes can be seen in the general health states, habits of oral healthcare, and oral health related quality of life. In our study, in order to determine the level of knowledge and behavior about halitosis, dental fear and anxiety as well as oral health, we used the validity and reliability tested Turkish versions of the of HU_DBI, MDAS, DFS and OHIP-14 in applying questionnaires prepared on the Survey Monkey survey platform necessary data has been obtained. 520 dental student completed the questionnaire. According to the results of the study; prevalence of self reported halitosis in dentistry students is not affected by the oral health awareness received from education and gender but it is xiv affected with dental anxiety and fear factors. İt was' nt found any relationship between the severity of bad breath and the values such as education level, dental anxiety or fear, and oral health related quality of life. Oral health awareness, dental fear and anxiety levels were found to be higher in women compared to men. In the examinations conducted, it was observed that oral health awarness and oral health realted quality of life are improved as the level of education increases on the contrary, the values related to dental anxiety and fear tended to decrease, and this trend was higher in women.