Attitudes and practices regarding preventive oral health self-care among patientsat Ha Dong General Hospital in 2025

Abstract

Objective: To describe the attitudes and practices regarding preventive oral health self-care among patients visiting Ha Dong General Hospital in 2025. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 401 patients attending the Odonto-Stomatology Clinic at Ha Dong General Hospital from March to May 2025. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire assessing attitudes and practices towards preventive oral care, yielding Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients of 0.933 and 0.947 for the attitude and practice domains, respectively. Results: Regarding attitudes toward preventive oral self-care, 60.1% of patients demonstrated a good attitude, 19.7% were average, and 20.2% were poor. In terms of practices, 60.1% exhibited good practices, 10.2% were average, and 29.7% were poor. The mean scores for attitudes and practices varied significantly according to gender and age (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a strong and statistically significant positive correlation was observed between patients’ attitudes and their practices (r = 0.924, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Patient attitudes and practices concerning preventive oral health self-care remain suboptimal. Targeted oral health counseling and health education, meticulously tailored to specific age groups and genders, must be prioritized by nursing staff in clinical settings