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Awareness of Periodontitis among Undergraduate Students at a Faculty of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Cross-Sectional Study Cover

Awareness of Periodontitis among Undergraduate Students at a Faculty of Medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Cross-Sectional Study

EABR. Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research
Volume 27 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)
By: ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,   and    
Open Access
|Jun 2026
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

Figure 1.

Number of students by study year

Legend: M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

Table 1.

Distribution of undergraduate students by age and gender

VariableM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Age (mean ±SD)21.70±1.9021.87±1.4221.64±1.5921.71±1.770.765
Gender n (%)
Male60 (28.0%)7 (13.2%)4 (6.1%)71 (21.3%)0.064
Female154 (72.0%)46 (86.8%)62 (93.9%)262 (78.7%)

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

Table 2.

Knowledge of the term periodontitis among undergraduate students

QuestionResponseM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Have you heard of the term Periodontitis?Yes126 (58.9%)36 (67.9%)31 (47.0%)193 (58.0%)0.064
No88 (41.1%)17 (32.1%)35 (53.0%)140 (42.0%)

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

Table 3.

Knowledge of the most common periodontitis signs and symptoms among undergraduate students

Sign/SymptomM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Bad Breath41 (19.2%)12 (22.6%)5 (7.6%)58 (17.4%)0.052
Oral Candidiasis10 (4.7%)a,b7 (13.2%)a0 (0.0%)b17 (5.1%)0.004
Gum Recession86 (40.2%)a19 (35.8%)a,b15 (22.7%)b120 (36.0%)0.036
Tooth Fracture13 (6.1%)4 (7.5%)1 (1.5%)18 (5.4%)0.270
Tooth Decay23 (10.7%)5 (9.4%)3 (4.5%)31 (9.3%)0.317
Bleeding Gums84 (39.3%)a23 (43.4%)a14 (21.2%)b121 (36.3%)0.015
Tooth Loss50 (23.4%)11 (20.8%)8 (12.1%)69 (20.7%)0.144
Loose Tooth55 (25.7%)a23 (43.4%)b6 (9.1%)c84 (25.2%)<0.001

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students;

[ii] Different letters represent a statistically significant difference

Table 4.

Knowledge of the most common periodontitis risk factors among undergraduate students

Risk factorsM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Oral Candidiasis29 (13.6%)8 (15.1%)5 (7.6%)42 (12.6%)0.370
Socioeconomic Status19 (8.9%)8 (15.1%)4 (6.1%)31 (9.3%)0.226
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome14 (6.5%)3 (5.7%)2 (3.0%)19 (5.7%)0.561
Papillon LeFevre Syndrome9 (4.2%)a,b5 (9.4%)a0 (0.0%)b14 (4.2%)0.039
Smoking74 (34.6%)a,b24 (45.3%)a15 (22.7%)b113 (33.9%)0.034
Sedentary Lifestyle1 (0.5%)a6 (11.3%)b0 (0.0%)a7 (2.1%)<0.001
Pregnancy21 (9.8%)a12 (22.6%)b4 (6.1%)a37 (11.1%)0.010
Tooth Decay61 (28.5%)a17 (32.1%)a8 (12.1%)b86 (25.8%)0.015

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

[ii] Different letters represent a statistically significant difference

Table 5.

Knowledge of the association between systemic diseases and periodontitis among undergraduate students

Condition/DiseaseM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Alzheimer’s Disease9 (4.2%)2 (3.8%)0 (0.0%)11 (3.3%)0.242
Rheumatoid Arthritis17 (7.9%)a,b10 (18.9%)a3 (4.5%)b30 (9.0%)0.017
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus17 (7.9%)a10 (18.9%)a5 (7.6%)a32 (9.6%)0.044
Sarcoidosis10 (4.7%)5 (9.4%)3 (4.5%)18 (5.4%)0.367
Adverse Pregnancy Outcome8 (3.7%)2 (3.8%)2 (3.0%)12 (3.6%)0.962
Osteoarthritis20 (9.3%)6 (11.3%)1 (1.5%)27 (8.1%)0.081
Ectodermal Dysplasia11 (5.1%)3 (5.7%)0 (0.0%)14 (4.2%)0.162
Chronic Kidney Disease10 (4.7%)a8 (15.1%)b3 (4.5%)a,b21 (6.3%)0.016
Diabetes Mellitus73 (34.1%)21 (39.6%)14 (21.2%)108 (32.4%)0.070
Cardiovascular Disease34 (15.9%)a6 (11.3%)a,b2 (3.0%)b42 (12.6%)0.022
Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia6 (2.8%)1 (1.9%)1 (1.5%)8 (2.4%)0.807

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

[ii] Different letters represent a statistically significant difference

Table 6.

Self-evaluation of knowledge about periodontitis among undergraduate students

Knowledge RatingM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Poor89 (41.6%)a12 (22.6%)b35 (53.0%)a136 (40.8%)0.002
Fair65 (30.4%)a17 (32.1%)a18 (27.3%)a100 (30.0%)
Neutral51 (23.8%)a15 (28.3%)a11 (16.7%)a77 (23.1%)
Good8 (3.7%)a6 (11.3%)a2 (3.0%)a16 (4.8%)
Excellent1 (0.5%)a3 (5.7%)b0 (0.0%)a4 (1.2%)

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

[ii] Different letters represent a statistically significant difference

Table 7.

Preferred sources of information about periodontitis among undergraduate students

Source of informationM (n=214)N (n=53)SER (n=66)TOTAL (n=333)P
Lectures67 (31.3%)20 (37.7%)14 (21.2%)101 (30.3%)0.131
Information pack52 (24.3%)a,b19 (35.8%)a9 (13.6%)b80 (24.0%)0.019
Video67 (31.3%)20 (37.7%)29 (43.9%)116 (34.8%)0.151
Web site74 (34.6%)19 (35.8%)16 (24.2%)109 (32.7%)0.256

[i] M-Medicine students; N-Nursing students; SER- Special education and rehabilitation students

[ii] Different letters represent a statistically significant difference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eabr-2026-0008 | Journal eISSN: 2956-2090 (formerly 2335-075X, 2956-0454) | Journal ISSN: 2956-0454 (formerly 1820-8665)
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Language: English
Page range: 59 - 66
Submitted on: Nov 27, 2025
Accepted on: Feb 12, 2026
Published on: Jun 1, 2026
Published by: University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Medical Sciences
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
Periodontitis,
risk factors,
systemic diseases,
education,
students
UDC:
616.314-002(497.6)
Related subjects:
Medicine,
Clinical medicine,
Clinical medicine, other

© 2026 Ana Cicmil, Smiljka Cicmil, Olivera Govedarica, Jelena Lecic, Tanja Ivanovic, Marija Lucic, Ilija Joknic, Jelena Krunic, published by University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Medical Sciences
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 27 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)
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