Assessment of oral and dental health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among adults living in a container city: The case of Malatya

Aim: This study aims to determine the levels of Oral and Dental Health (ODH) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (ODB) of adult individuals living in container cities and to examine the relationships between these levels and sociodemographic characteristics and traumatic experiences related to the earthquake. Material and Method: A total of 384 adult individuals were included in the cross-sectional study. Data were collected through structured forms evaluating ODH knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and evaluated using descriptive statistics, comparative analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The mean ODH scores of the participants were determined as follows: 8.5±1.9 (maximum 10) for knowledge, 37.9±5.5 (maximum 45) for attitude, and 7.1±3.3 (maximum 13) for behavior. When behavioral practices were examined, it was determined that only 44.8% of the participants brushed their teeth twice a day and 33.9% had not visited a dentist in the last year. It was found that women had significantly higher ADS BTD scores than men, and that employees and individuals with a university degree or higher education level also had significantly higher scores compared to other groups(p<0.05). Traumatic experiences related to the earthquake were found to have significant negative effects on ADS; individuals who experienced the earthquake had significantly lower ADS knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores(p<0.05). In particular, the loss of a loved one in the earthquake was a significant predictor of the ADS attitude score. Conclusion: In conclusion, in addition to increasing the education level, integrating post-disaster psychosocial support is of great importance in interventions aimed at improving ADS. Keywords: Oral and Dental Health (ADS), Health behavior, Oral health literacy, Disaster, Earthquake, Container city.