ABSTRACT
Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the daily habits of maintaining oral hygiene and eating behaviors. To study the perceptions of college students concerning oral hygiene and eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a descriptive observational study with a cross-sectional design, conducted with an online questionnaire containing questions related to socio-demographic data, eating habits, quality and quantity of food intake, and oral hygiene habits. The sample was 765 students of the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Trisakti. The chi-square test was applied to study the differences between male and female students’ perceptions. Male and female students’ perceptions differed in the topics of tooth brushing and using mouthwash, eating healthy food and paying attention to healthy food intake. Also, male and female students’ behaviors differed in the consumption of healthy food (p = 0.01), sweet snacks (p = 0.001), tea or coffee with sugar and milk (p < 0.001), and fruits and vegetables (p < 0.001). The perceptions and behaviors of maintaining oral hygiene and healthy eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic were different between male and female students of Dentistry in Indonesia.
