title: The hierarchical cluster analysis of oral health attitudes and behaviour using the Hiroshima University--Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) among final year dental students in 17 countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore and describe international oral health attitudes/ behaviours among final year dental students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Validated translated versions of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire were administered to 1,096 final-year dental students in 17 countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted within the data to detect patterns and groupings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 72%. The cluster analysis identified two main groups among the countries. Group 1 consisted of twelve countries: one Oceanic (Australia), one Middle-Eastern (Israel), seven European (Northern Ireland, England, Finland, Greece, Germany, Italy, and France) and three Asian (Korea, Thailand and Malaysia) countries. Group 2 consisted of five countries: one South American (Brazil), one European (Belgium) and three Asian (China, Indonesia and Japan) countries. The percentages of 'agree' responses in three HU-DBI questionnaire items were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1. They include: "I worry about the colour of my teeth."; "I have noticed some white sticky deposits on my teeth."; and "I am bothered by the colour of my gums."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Grouping the countries into international clusters yielded useful information for dentistry and dental education.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endodontology, Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington 06030-1715, USA. ICD38719@nifty.com
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komabayashi
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Kang-Ju
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Fredrick A C
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Declerck
authors.forename: Maria do Carmo Matias Freire
authors.initials: Mdo C
authors.lastname: Goiâs
authors.forename: De-Yu
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Eino
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Honkala
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lévy
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalwitzki
authors.forename: Argy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polychronopoulou
authors.forename: Kevin Hak-Kong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Eli
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kinirons
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petti
authors.forename: Patcharawan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Srisilapanan
authors.forename: Stella Y L
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.forename: Linda S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Centore
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003729:Dental Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000523:psychology*; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires