Oral health assessment by plaque and gingival bleeding indices in a dental student cohort from Cluj-Napoca, Romania – a retrospective observational cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Oral hygiene is a primary determinant of the two most prevalent oral diseases — dental caries and periodontal disease. Despite privileged access to oral health education and clinical services, dental students represent an under-studied population regarding objective clinical oral hygiene status. Population-level data using standardized clinical indices remain scarce for young adults in Romania.

Aim

To determine the prevalence of acceptable oral hygiene and healthy gingival status in a cohort of Romanian dental students, assessed by the O’Leary Plaque Control Record Index (PCR, threshold ≤20%) and the Ainamo & Bay Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI, threshold ≤10%). Secondary aims included evaluating arch-level and gender-related differences.

Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional observational study extracted data from patient files of dental students attending the Periodontology Department of the Stomatology Ambulatory of Cluj County Clinical Emergency Hospital — the teaching clinic of Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj- Napoca — between April 2024 and December 2025. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v.27 (Welch’s t-test; chi-square; α=0.05).

Results

482 dental students were included (234F/248M; mean age 23.39 years). Mean PCR values were 29.43% (maxilla) and 32.83% (mandible); mean GBI values were 12.56% (maxilla) and 15.16% (mandible) — both exceeding acceptability thresholds. Only 21% met criteria for acceptable oral hygiene and gingival health across the full dentition. No gender-based differences were identified (p≥0.05).

Conclusions

A significant proportion of dental students fail to achieve acceptable plaque control and gingival health despite their educational background. These findings support the integration of structured, repeated oral hygiene self-monitoring into dental education curricula and provide baseline data for future interventional studies.