title: Social capital and self-rated oral health among young people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A few studies have revealed the impact of neighborhood social capital on oral health among young people. We sought to examine the associations of social capital in three settings (families, neighborhoods, and schools) with self-rated oral health among a sample of college students in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of 967 students in Okayama University, aged 18 and 19 years, was carried out. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations of poor self-rated oral health with perceptions of social capital, adjusting for self-perceived household income category and oral health behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of subjects with poor self-rated oral health was 22%. Adjusted for gender, self-perceived household income category, dental fear, toothbrush frequency, and dental floss use, poor self-rated oral health was significantly associated with lower level of neighborhood trust [odds ratio (OR) 2.22; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.40-3.54] and lower level of vertical trust in school (OR 1.71; 95% CI: 1.05-2.80). Low informal social control was unexpectedly associated with better oral health (OR 0.54; 95% CI: 0.34-0.85).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of social capital with self-rated oral health is not uniform. Higher trust is associated with better oral health, whereas higher informal control in the community is associated with worse oral health.
authors: Department of Preventive Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors: Michiko
authors: M
authors: Furuta
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Ekuni
authors: Soshi
authors: S
authors: Takao
authors: Etsuji
authors: E
authors: Suzuki
authors: Manabu
authors: M
authors: Morita
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Kawachi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012574:Schools; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors