Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 10, No. 1, Issue 35, Jan.-Mar., 2021 Original Article 23 Address for correspondence Dr. Sunita Khanal Lecturer, Department of Community Dentistry, Kantipur Dental College, Basundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal E-mail: khanal.sunita729@gmail.com Association between sleeping patterns, oral hygiene status, and self-reported academic performance among dental students Khanal S, 1 Shrestha S, 1 Bhattarai R 2 1 Sunita Khanal; 1 Sujita Shrestha; Lecturer, Department of Community Dentistry, Kantipur Dental College, Basundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2 Rosina Bhattarai, Lecturer, Department of Community Dentistry, College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal. Abstract Background: Sleep is very important for normal functioning and overall development of the body for all. Information on association between sleeping patterns, oral hygiene status, and self-reported academic performance among dental students is not available in Nepal. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the association between sleeping patterns, oral hygiene status, and self- reported academic performance among dental students. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among second year to fnal year students of Kantipur Dental College from January to December 2020. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review committee of Kantipur Dental College before collecting the data. Convenience sampling was used. Data collection was done by using self-administered, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire for assessing sleep quality. For assessing oral hygiene status, Greene and Vermillion OHI-S index was used. Academic performance was measured by the performance of the students in their previous university exam. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analysis was done by using SPSS version 20 and p <0.05 was considered to be statistically signifcant. Results: Altogether 138 students participated in the study. Self-reported sleep quality was fairly good among 82 (59.4%) students but the actual sleep quality determined by PSQI was good among 92 (67 %) students. Mean hours of actual sleep of participants was 7 ± 1.52 hours. The association between sleeping patterns, academic performance, and oral hygiene status was found to be statistically insignifcant. Conclusion: The sleeping patterns, oral hygiene status, and academic performance had no signifcant association. Key words: Academic performance; Dental students; Oral hygiene status; Sleeping patterns. Access this article online Website: www.jkmc.com.np DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v10i1.38967 HOW TO CITE Khanal S, Shrestha S, Bhattarai R. Association between sleeping patterns, oral hygiene status, and self-reported academic performance among dental students. J Kathmandu Med Coll. 2021;10(1):23-7. Copyright © 2021 Journal of Kathmandu Medical College (JKMC) ISSN: 2019-1785 (Print), 2091-1793 (Online) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License. INTRODUCTION S leep is pivotal to learning and practice as well as physical and mental health and is an inseparable part of human health and life. 1 Studies have shown that one- third of adults sufer from sleep problems and that the students sleep less compared to the general population because of academic stress. High failure rates and poor academic performance is also associated with poor sleep quality. 2 Sleep is very essential to everybody’s health. Both health and performance are infuenced by sleep. 3 For a successful academic and economically prosperous career, sleep is undoubtedly an important aspect. 4 Lack of concentration and attention during class is also associated with sleep defcit. 5 For students, maintenance of oral hygiene, academic performance, and cognitive functioning are afected by sleep. Therefore sleep quality and pattern should be