title: Self-esteem as a predictor of toothbrushing behaviour in young adolescents.
abstract: A survey of 4075 14-year-old children from secondary schools throughout England was made to obtain information about toothbrushing frequency, motivation for mouth care, and self-esteem. Subjects completed a questionnaire, anonymously, in class. Toothbrushing frequency was found to increase significantly with increasing self-esteem in males (P less than 0.0001) and females (P less than 0.05). However, there was no consistent variation with self-esteem in those brushing 3 or more times per day, in either sex. There was a significant variation in the main reason given for mouth care between the sexes (P less than 0.0001); proportionately more females (67%) than males (57%) gave cleanliness or cosmetic effect as the principal reason for mouth care. A variation was observed in the mean reason given for mouth care with self-esteem in females (P less than 0.05), but not in males. However, in both sexes, as self-esteem improved, there was a consistent increase in the proportions of individuals who brushed their teeth to make them feel clean. These findings suggest there may be a positive relationship between self-esteem and toothbrushing behaviour and motivation for mouth care in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Macgregor
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Balding
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000523:psychology*