According to the 2014 Turkey Country Report, beauty and personal care recently achieved strong improvement. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the changes in the use of oral hygiene aids over a decade. The study population was randomly chosen from among patients aged 18-80 who were referred to the admission desk of our faculty of dentistry. In total, 662 patients (362 women) were interviewed face to face from 2003-2004 (first survey). The interview inquired about oral care habits at home, oral care product use and the education level of the participants. A similar interview was performed with 749 participants (411 women) from 2013-2014 (second survey), and an effort was made to include similar numbers of males and females with similar ages as in the first survey. The data from the first and second surveys were compared based on the participa ts� education level, and the results showed a significant difference in the use of manual and power toothbrushes in the second survey (p=0.001). Moreover, the number of participants brushing their teeth twice per day was significantly different from the number of those brushing less at both time points (p=0.001). The number of participants using dental floss once per day was lower than the number of those not flossing at both time points (p=0.003 and p=0.001). Additionally, a comparison of the numbers of subjects using mouthwash at the two time points revealed statistically significant differences (p=0.003, p=0.001, and p=0.007) among the three education levels, with higher use in the second survey. Finally, the frequency of toothbrush replacement was significantly different at both time points (p=0.004 and p=0.001) among the three types of education levels. Our results thus revealed inadequate progress concerning optimum oral hygiene practices.

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