Relation of achievement motives, satisfaction with life, happiness and oral health in Romanian university students.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present study was to investigate whether achievement motives, satisfaction with life and happiness are associated with oral health behaviour and perceived gingival status.


METHODS
The present study sample consisted of 178 first-year medical students. The questionnaire included information about sociodemographic factors, behavioural variables, perceived oral health status, achievement motives (hope of success and fear of failure), satisfaction with life and subjective happiness scales.


RESULTS
It was observed that individuals who presented higher values of satisfaction with life and happiness rated their gingival status as being very good/excellent and that individuals who presented higher values of hope of success reported to brush frequently. When the oral health behaviour was analysed, it was revealed that persons who brushed their teeth more than twice a day reported higher values of hope of success when compared with individuals who reported their toothbrushing frequency to be once a day or less. It was also revealed that persons who visited their clinician for check-ups reported higher values of subjective happiness. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that stress in everyday life and hope of success were positively associated with the toothbrushing frequency and that satisfaction with life was positively associated with the gingival health status.


CONCLUSIONS
Hope of success and satisfaction with life should be considered as predictors of good oral health behaviour/status.
Dumitrescu
Alexandrina Lizica
AL
Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway. alexandrina.dumitrescu@uit.no
Kawamura
Makoto
M
Dogaru
Beatrice Carmen
BC
Dogaru
Cristian Dinu
CD
D000124:Achievement; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000523:psychology; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009909:Oral Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012383:Romania; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult