Job characteristics and the subjective oral health of Australian workers.
The way in which work is structured and organised is associated with the health and well-being of workers.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the associations between hours worked, job security, skill maintenance and work and home interference and subjective oral health; and to compare findings for different occupational groups.


METHODS
Data were collected in 1999 from a random stratified sample of households in all Australian States and Territories using a telephone interview and a questionnaire survey. Subjective oral health was evaluated with the short form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), which assesses the adverse impact of oral conditions on quality of life.


RESULTS
Data were obtained for 2,347 dentate adults in the workforce. In the 12 months preceding the survey, 51.9% had experienced oral pain and 31.0% reported psychological discomfort from dental problems. Males, young adults, Australian-born workers, and those in upper-white collar occupations reported lower mean OHIP-14 scores (ANOVA p < 0.001). Having controlled for the effects sex, age, country of birth and socioeconomic factors in a linear multiple regression analysis, hours worked, skill maintenance and work and home interference were significantly associated with OHIP-14 scores for all workers. While part-time work was associated with higher OHIP-14 among upper white-collar workers, working >40 hours a week was associated with higher OHIP-14 scores for other workers.


CONCLUSIONS
Aspects of the work environment are associated with the subjective oral health of workers. Because these contexts are subject to only limited control by individual workers, their influence is a public health issue.
Sanders
Anne E
AE
Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, Dental School, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Spencer
A John
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009909:Oral Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires