Introduction:

oral hygiene is fundamental to achieve good oral health and thus avoid multiple pathologies, among them dental caries, the most frequent. It is a disease of multifactorial origin in which there is an interaction of three main factors: the host (particularly the tooth and saliva), the microflora (microorganisms) and the substrate (diet).

Objective:

to determine the level of oral hygiene in a population of the "La Palmira" neighborhood, in the city of Salcedo, Ecuador.

Methods:

observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, descriptive research carried out in the period May - October 2023. The universe was composed of 1200 people, the sample obtained through simple random sampling, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, was composed of 291 people.

Results:

of the population studied, 34 % indicated that they brushed their teeth twice a day (70,5 %) and 62,9 % indicated that they brushed three times a day or more. As for the use of alternative means, in this case mouthwash, 39,9 % indicate that they occasionally use mouthwash, compared with the validated survey, this is 15 %, 22 % indicate that they use mouthwash once a day, compared with the validated survey, this is 42,2 %.

Conclusions:

Dentistry should continue to focus on the prevention of oral pathologies in vulnerable sectors such as remote or hard-to-reach communities, where supervision and professional assistance are of great relevance.

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