[Oral hygiene in university students].

The family income of students entering the University suggests that they should be aware of basic rules of oral hygiene. Thus, oral hygiene was evaluated in a study conducted on 336 1st-year students enrolled in the Pharmacy and Dentistry Course of Ribeirão Preto, USP. The results showed that 42% of the students consult a dentist twice a year; the frequency of tooth brushing was four times a day, with no difference between the use of soft (48%) and medium (49%) brushes, and brushing time was 1 to 5 min. The students use dental floss (87%) and rinse their mouth with Cepacol (37%), and females brush their tongue at higher frequency (70%). Fifty-two percent of the students reported the occurrence of gingival bleeding when they brush their teeth.