Introduction. A poor oral hygiene is associated with dental caries, gingivitis, periodontal diseases, bad breath, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney diseases. Moreover, a poor oral health has psychosocial impacts that diminish a quality of life and restrict activities in school, at work, and home. African regions carry a major burden of oral health problems. However, very few studies highlighted about oral hygiene practices and there is also paucity of information in Ethiopia. This study was, therefore, designed to identify an oral hygiene practice on patients/clients visiting dental clinics in Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia. Objective. To assess oral hygiene practices and associated factors among patients/clients visiting private dental clinics, Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia. Methods. Institution-based cross-sectional study was employed among patients/clients attending private clinics in Hawassa City from January 27 to February 8, 2018. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 403 study participants. Data were entered into EpiData 3.1, cleaned, and analyzed by SPSS 20. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between independent and outcome variables. Crude and adjusted OR with 95% confidence level was estimated, and variables having
P
value ≤0.05 in multivariable analysis were considered as significant. Results. 393 study participants participated making a response rate of 97.52%. A median age of respondents was 27 ± 10.9. About 153 (39.9%) of the study participants had poor oral hygienic practice. Male (AOR: 1.63, 95% CI: (1.053, 2.523)), rural residence (AOR: 3.79, 95% CI: (1.724, 8.317)), and poor knowledge about oral hygiene (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI: (1.402, 4.024)) were independently associated to poor oral hygienic practice. Conclusion. More than one-third of the study participants had poor oral hygienic practice. Providing health information regarding oral hygiene for the patients/clients in the facilities with a special focus from rural areas is recommended.
