title: Self-assessed dental health, oral health practices, and general health behaviors in Chinese urban adolescents.
abstract: The objectives of this study were: to describe perceived dental health status and oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in Chinese urban adolescents; to assess the associations of oral health variables with socio-economic status and school performance; and to analyse the relative effect of socio-behavioral risk factors on perceived dental health, perceived need for dental care, and experience of dental symptoms. A cross-sectional survey of 2662 adolescents was conducted in eight capital cities in China; the response rate was 92%. The study population was chosen by multistage cluster sampling and covered three age groups: 11, 13, and 15 years. Data on dental and general health were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Self-assessment of dental health of Chinese adolescents was generally good, only 12% of the students answered that their teeth were "poor" or "very poor", and 9% claimed having "poor" or "very poor" gums. Eleven percent of participants said that other students made fun of their teeth; 24% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the appearance of their teeth, and 41% claimed that they had experienced toothache or symptoms during the previous 12 months. Positive attitudes towards dental care were found in all age groups; 67% of adolescents brushed their teeth at least twice a day and 48% of the students used fluoridated toothpaste. Only 26% of the students visited a dentist during the previous 12 months. In all, 6% of the adolescents had tried cigarette smoking at least once, while 41% reported having tasted alcohol drinks. Multivariate regression analyses showed that perceived dental health status and needs were associated with gender, age, unhealthy lifestyles, poor school performance, and socio-economic status. The establishment of school-based health promotion programs in China is urgently needed, and promotion of oral health lifestyles should be integrated with other general health actions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Poul Erik
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Baojun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: Zhuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004037:Diet, Cariogenic; D004522:Educational Status; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population