title: Awareness of and compliance with healthy oral habits reported by children and their parents in Democratic People's Republic of Korea after a preventive programme.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to examine awareness of and compliance with healthy oral habits reported by children and their parents in Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), after a preventive programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were collected in 2013 with self-completed, partly structured questionnaires from 1994 children aged 10 and 13 years and from 200 parents. Association between awareness of and compliance with healthy oral habits reported by the children and their parents was evaluated using Chi square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses, children's oral health habits according to themselves and their parents were analysed using McNemar's test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both children and their parents seemed to be familiar with healthy oral habits, although the awareness was not directly related to the reports of the children's oral practices. Most of the children reported brushing their teeth at least twice a day, using fluoride toothpaste and drinking water for thirst but frequent sweet snacking was common. Children's and their parents' reports were consistent with regard to sweet snacking frequency (p = 0.736) and the main thirst quencher (p = 0.349).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Awareness of healthy oral habits appeared to be good among children and their parents. Unhealthy oral habits seemed to coincide with one another.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland.|b Oral Health Care, Social Services and Health Care , Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Pirkko-Liisa
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tarvonen
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland.|c Oral and Maxillofacial Department , Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland.|d Research Unit of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland.|e Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Medical Research Centre, Oulu University Hospital , Oulu , Finland.
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.affiliation: f Dental Faculty , Pyongyang Medical College, Kim Il Sung University , Pyongyang , Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yon Sil
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ri
authors.affiliation: f Dental Faculty , Pyongyang Medical College, Kim Il Sung University , Pyongyang , Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Hyon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: f Dental Faculty , Pyongyang Medical College, Kim Il Sung University , Pyongyang , Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Hyok
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland.|c Oral and Maxillofacial Department , Kuopio University Hospital , Kuopio , Finland.
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Suominen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D056911:Democratic People's Republic of Korea; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D060766:Drinking Water; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015438:Health Behavior; D006267:Health Education, Dental / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D062410:Snacks; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D060766:Drinking Water; D014100:Toothpastes; D005459:Fluorides
keywords: Children; healthy oral habits; parents; preventive programme