Self-assessed oral health status of ethnic minority residents of South London.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the self-assessed oral health status of individuals from minority ethnic communities living in South London.


METHODS
A sample of 1,057 individuals from minority ethnic communities (as defined by Office of Censuses and Surveys categories) resident in South London were asked to complete measures of their oral and facial symptoms, the impact of their oral health on their daily functioning and of their satisfaction with the appearance of their teeth and gums.


METHODS
Self-assessed oral health status was determined by means of two short scales addressing oral symptoms and the impact of oral health on activities of daily living. Satisfaction with the appearance of the teeth and gums was also assessed.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found between minority ethnic communities in the number of symptoms reported, in the level of impact which such symptoms cause, or in their dissatisfaction with the appearance of their teeth and gums. Reporting of symptoms and impact were mildly though significantly correlated with dissatisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
There appears to be little difference between ethnic communities in their reporting of oral and facial symptoms, though these groups report higher levels of dissatisfaction with the appearance of their teeth and gums. Social and demographic factors play an important role in determining perceptions of oral health. The findings should be interpreted with caution given the difficulty of sampling minority ethnic communities and the subsequent limited representativeness of the sample.
Newton
J T
JT
Division of Dental Public Health & Oral Health Services Research, Guy's Hospital, Guy's King's & St. Thomas' Dental Institute, London, UK. j.newton@umds.ac.uk
Khan
F A
FA
Bhavnani
V
V
Pitt
J
J
Gelbier
S
S
Gibbons
D E
DE
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003729:Dental Care; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000145:classification; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000145:classification; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012907:Smoking; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000145:classification; D014099:Toothbrushing
D019422:Dietary Sucrose