Self-reported oral hygiene habits and oral health problems of Kuwaiti adults.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to examine self-reported oral hygiene habits and oral health problems of a sample of adult Kuwaitis.


METHODS
A self-administered, anonymous, structured questionnaire was distributed to 2,400 adult Kuwaiti nationals from all 6 governates of Kuwait assessing socio-demographic variables, oral hygiene habits, and oral health problems.


RESULTS
Of the 2,400 questionnaires, 1,925 (80.25%) responded. Of these, 62% reported brushing their teeth at least twice daily, while daily use of dental floss was uncommon (11.8%). Adequate toothbrushing habits were significantly associated with female gender, educational level, non-smoking status, and history of recent preventive dental visits (p = 0.001). The majority of subjects reported multiple oral health problems (64.7% with 2 or more and 41.8% with 3 or more). Factors associated with multiple oral health complaints included younger age, smoking, not having a recent preventive dental visit, and brushing the teeth less than twice daily.


CONCLUSIONS
Less than two-thirds of the sampled adult Kuwaitis followed the recommended toothbrushing frequency of twice daily or more, and the majority of subjects have not had a preventive dental visit in the previous 6 months. Furthermore, most subjects reported multiple oral health problems that are mostly preventable through adequate oral hygiene habits and regular preventive dental visits.
Al-Shammari
Khalaf F
KF
Department of Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait. kalshammari@hsc.edu.kw
Al-Ansari
Jassem M
JM
Al-Khabbaz
Areej K
AK
Dashti
Asmahan
A
Honkala
Eino J
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000379:methods*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods*