AWARENESS
AND SELF-PERCEPTION OF HALITOSIS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM.
Valen Jia Cin ONG1, Lee Sher LIM2, Hanif ABDUL RAHMAN1,
Joe KNIGHTS1.
1PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei
Darussalam, Tungku Link Road, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
2Dental Department, Seria Health Clinic, Brunei Darussalam.
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Halitosis, or bad breath, is a prevalent health concern with social and
psychological implications. This study investigated the knowledge of halitosis
among undergraduate students at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), focusing on
health-science (HS) and non-health-science (non-HS) students. The research aimed
to contribute to the understanding of halitosis within the context of
undergraduate student populations and the impact of health science-based
programmes. Methods: The study was
conducted among 4108 undergraduate UBD students using a self-administered,
closed-ended online questionnaire.
Results: 279 students from five UBD undergraduate faculties participated in
the study giving a response rate of 6.79%. HS students exhibited significantly
higher awareness of factors contributing to halitosis, including smoking, tooth
cavities, incorrect teeth cleaning, gastrointestinal tract disease, tonsillitis
and certain medications. Furthermore, HS students reported receiving more
educational material on halitosis (24.1% vs. 2.3%). Both HS and non-HS students
primarily relied on dentists (62.0% vs. 56.1%) for halitosis consultations. In
terms of self-perception, no significant difference was found between the two
groups. The vast majority of students agreed that halitosis could negatively
impact a person's life (92.8%). 49.1% of the respondents have been told that
they have bad breath and felt embarrassed.
Conclusion: The greater level of
halitosis-related knowledge in HS students indicates the positive impact of HS
programs and the potential need for educational initiatives among non-HS
students. Halitosis presents a potentially significant issue in the sample,
reflecting the relevance of its physical and psychological impact. Broader
research with larger and more diverse samples is necessary to improve
generalisability.
Keywords: Awareness, Brunei, Halitosis, Self-perception, Undergraduate students.
Corresponding author:
Dr. Joe Knights, Assistant Professor, PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences,
Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei
Darussalam
Brunei Int Med J.2024;20:47-55