Abstract

Background: Oral hygiene practices are central to the prevention of dental disease and oral malodor. Understanding how these behaviors vary across community respondents is important for designing targeted preventive programs, particularly in settings where population-level data remain limited. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe oral hygiene practices, dental conditions, and the frequency of self-perceived halitosis in a mixed-age sample and to explore how behavioral, dietary, medical, and lifestyle factors relate to reported oral-health outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 301 participants was conducted using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene behaviors, dental attendance, diet, self-reported medical and dental history, lifestyle factors, and halitosis-related variables. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics were generated, and chi-square testing was used for exploratory comparisons among categorical variables at a significance level of ≤ 0.05. Results: Most respondents reported tooth brushing (94.4%), and nearly half reported brushing twice daily (46.2%). Use of adjunctive measures was lower, including mouthwash (32.2%), floss (17.6%), and tongue cleaning (52.8%). Self-perceived halitosis was reported occasionally by 59.1% and frequently by 4.3% of respondents. Self-reported dental caries (62.1%), periodontal disease (32.2%), and malocclusion (35.9%) were common. Exploratory chi-square analyses also showed significant differences across several behavioral and clinical response categories, including smoking or vaping, breathing pattern, and sinus-related conditions (p ≤ 0.01). Although only 8% reported overt social problems related to breath odor, 40.9% reported concern about how others responded to them. Treatment-seeking for halitosis was uncommon (9.6%). Conclusion: Self-perceived halitosis and several adverse oral-health indicators were common in this sample, while recommended daily hygiene practices and treatment-seeking remained suboptimal. These findings support the need for targeted oral-health education, early assessment, and preventive counseling to improve hygiene behaviors and reduce the psychosocial burden associated with oral malodor.