Table 2 Comparisons of awareness of oral healthcare between students in their first and fourth years and between dental and nursing students
|  | Dental students (n = 48) | Nursing students (n = 103) | Dental versus nursing students | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First year | Fourth year | P value* | First year | Fourth year | P value* | First year | Fourth year | |
% | % | % | % | P value* | P value* | |||
What kinds of knowledge do you think are needed to practice oral healthcare? | ||||||||
 General dentistry | 100.0 | 93.8 | 0.078 | 97.1 | 95.1 | 0.471 | 0.232 | 0.721 |
 General medicine | 58.3 | 83.3 | 0.007 | 44.7 | 72.8 | < 0.000 | 0.118 | 0.158 |
 Nursing | 75.0 | 81.3 | 0.459 | 40.8 | 71.8 | < 0.000 | < 0.000 | 0.215 |
 Geriatrics | 41.7 | 58.3 | 0.102 | 47.6 | 90.3 | < 0.000 | 0.498 | < 0.000 |
 Other | 0.0 | 8.3 | 0.041 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.316 | < 0.000 | 0.019 |
To whom do you think oral healthcare should be provided? | ||||||||
 Older adults who need nursing care | 89.6 | 97.9 | 0.092 | 76.7 | 99.0 | < 0.000 | 0.061 | 0.578 |
 Healthy older adults | 87.5 | 93.8 | 0.294 | 78.6 | 96.1 | < 0.000 | 0.192 | 0.520 |
 Patients in hospital wards | 81.3 | 93.8 | 0.064 | 73.8 | 96.1 | < 0.000 | 0.316 | 0.520 |
 Healthy people, except for older adults | 77.1 | 87.5 | 0.181 | 70.9 | 87.4 | 0.004 | 0.424 | 0.983 |
 Cancer patients | 66.7 | 83.3 | 0.059 | 39.8 | 96.1 | < 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.007 |
 Other | 2.1 | 4.2 | 0.557 | 2.9 | 4.9 | 0.471 | 0.768 | 0.852 |
Where do you think oral healthcare should be provided? | ||||||||
 Long-term care facilities | 79.2 | 83.3 | 0.601 | 79.6 | 95.1 | 0.001 | 0.950 | 0.016 |
 Hospices | 39.6 | 79.2 | < 0.000 | 31.1 | 89.3 | < 0.000 | 0.303 | 0.093 |
 In the patient’s home | 64.6 | 75.0 | 0.266 | 63.1 | 94.2 | < 0.000 | 0.861 | 0.001 |
 Recovery phase rehabilitation wards | 52.1 | 66.7 | 0.146 | 34.0 | 91.3 | < 0.000 | 0.034 | < 0.000 |
 Paediatric wards | 56.3 | 66.7 | 0.294 | 58.3 | 92.2 | < 0.000 | 0.817 | < 0.000 |
 Cancer wards | 54.2 | 64.6 | 0.299 | 22.3 | 95.1 | < 0.000 | < 0.000 | < 0.000 |
 Acute care hospitals (including the ICU) | 33.3 | 62.5 | 0.004 | 16.5 | 97.1 | < 0.000 | 0.020 | < 0.000 |
 Maternity wards | 20.8 | 58.3 | < 0.000 | 16.5 | 93.2 | < 0.000 | 0.518 | < 0.000 |
 Psychiatric wards | 20.8 | 54.2 | 0.001 | 6.8 | 92.2 | < 0.000 | 0.011 | < 0.000 |
 Other | 0.0 | 2.1 | 0.315 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 0.651 | 0.232 | 0.954 |
What do you think oral healthcare affects? | ||||||||
 Prevention of periodontal disease | 93.8 | 95.8 | 0.646 | 96.1 | 98.1 | 0.407 | 0.520 | 0.428 |
 Prevention of aspiration pneumonia | 58.3 | 95.8 | < 0.000 | 35.9 | 97.1 | < 0.000 | 0.010 | 0.688 |
 Prevention of dental caries | 93.6 | 93.8 | 0.979 | 98.1 | 99.0 | 0.561 | 0.160 | 0.060 |
 Prevention of general disease | 68.8 | 81.3 | 0.157 | 36.9 | 92.2 | < 0.000 | < 0.000 | 0.047 |
 Care prevention (prevention of becoming frail) | 47.9 | 79.2 | 0.001 | 32.0 | 86.4 | < 0.000 | 0.060 | 0.257 |
 Improvement of anorexia | 52.1 | 75.0 | 0.020 | 31.1 | 93.2 | < 0.000 | 0.013 | 0.002 |
 Prevention of cardiovascular disease | 66.7 | 70.8 | 0.660 | 44.7 | 84.5 | < 0.000 | 0.012 | 0.051 |
 Other | 0.0 | 4.2 | 0.153 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 0.651 | 0.232 | 0.428 |