THE PREVALENCE OF PERIODONTAL AND ORAL DISEASES AMONG TOBACCO USERS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF HEALTH SCIENCE COLLEGES (DENTAL, NURSING AND PHARMACY) AT UMM AL QURA UNIVERSITY, MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Background: With reference to The World Oral Health Organization, tobacco is set to be one of the most horrific causes of disease around the globe considering how widely it is spread in almost all communities and is believed to be to the cause of many oral and systemic illnesses and in many cases it leads to early death. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the practice of using Tobacco and oral health (Periodontal and Oral Diseases) among undergraduate students of Health Science Colleges (Dental, Nursing and Pharmacy) at Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The present study was a cross?sectional study, it included 1100 university students from health science colleges (Dental, Nursing and Pharmacy) from the second to the sixth year at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The hard copy questionnaire was distributed during the lecture time. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first section included 2 demographic data attributes (gender and college). The second section included 14 questions asked about (the rule of college in preventing the consumption of tobacco among students, the awareness of students regarding hazards and health damages due to tobacco use, The type of tobacco commonly used by students, the duration of its consumption and frequency, the diseases that might occur due to tobacco use, the effects of tobacco on oral health and their desire of using it or determination to quit it). The time needed to answer the questionnaire was 5 minutes. Results: The questionnaire was answered by 900 students out of 1100 (81.8%). The high percentage of tobacco use belonged to the male students (76.4%), while for female students it was (23.6%). The prevalence of tobacco users among College of Dentistry students was the highest percentage (5%) Followed by the College of Pharmacy Students (4.5%) and found to be zero among the students of Nursing college (0%). Most of the students practiced the using of tobacco in order to avoid the stress (47.6%) and feel comforted (64.7%). The proportion of people suffering from diseases that affect oral health due to the practice of tobacco use was (54.1%). The most diseases that occur due to the practice of using tobacco is the change of the smell of the mouth (50%) followed by gums and lips diseases (26%). The percentage of tobacco users who would like to quit was (90.5%). Unconvinced users with laws that the college made against tobacco (53%) as well as who neglect efforts and preaching against tobacco (51%). Conclusions: The prevalence of Tobacco Users was high in the students of College of Dentistry and Pharmacy in compared to students of the nursing college. A high proportion of tobacco users had an impact on their oral health and their most complaints were change in the smell of their mouths. Health science colleges should make a greater effort to educate and protect their students from falling in the trap of tobacco consumption and help them to quit it in a well-studied manner.