title: Oral health behavior and attitudes of adults in Lithuania.
abstract: In Lithuania, the oral health system is currently in transition and systematic data are needed for public oral health care planning. The objectives of this study were (i) to describe the self-assessment of oral health status in Lithuanian adults, the oral hygiene practices, and dental visiting habits; (ii) to assess the attitudes towards teeth and oral health, dental care and oral health services; (iii) to determine whether oral health attitudes and behavior are affected by socio-economic factors; and (iv) to analyse the association between self-care practices and use of oral health services. The study comprised random samples of 35-44-year-olds (n = 381) and 65-74-year-olds (n = 302). Data were collected during 1997 98 by means of self-administered questionnaires and the response rate was 53%. Nearly all persons of ages 35-44 had natural teeth, whereas 14% of 65-74-year-olds were edentulous. Among the dentate persons, 45% of the young adults against 36% of the elderly claimed having poor teeth, and 66% and 55%, respectively, had experience of pain from teeth or mouth during the past year. At ages 35-44, 33% of participants reported toothbrushing at least twice a day and this was the case for 21% of 65-74-year-olds. Dental visits within the past year were indicated by 60% of young adults and 43% of the elderly; 83% of all participants reported that their last visit to the dentist was due to acute oral symptoms. In general, the participants had positive dental knowledge and attitudes; however, 56% were unaware of any effect of fluoride. The bivariate analyses showed that perceived oral health status and oral self-care practices were related to use of dental services. The multivariate analyses of dental visiting habits revealed the effects of gender, urbanization, presence of natural teeth, experience of dental problems, attitudes to dental care and dentists, and education. In conclusion, preventive dental services should be introduced and the establishment of community-based oral health promotion programs is urgently needed for Lithuania.
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department for Community Dentistry, Denmark. pep@odont.ku.dk
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aleksejuniene
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Eriksen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003729:Dental Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*