To study the perceived oral health in an adult Swedish population in the region of Scania, Sweden.
Methods:
A questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected sample of 10 000 individuals living in the region of Scania, 20 to 90- years-old. The final sample was 9 691. The response rate was 63%, comprising 3 480 women (57%) and 2 643 men (43%). Of the non-respondents, 1 566 were women (44%) and 2 001 men (56%). The questionnaire contained 58 questions of which 18 questions concerned the individual's perceptions of his/her oral health. The remaining questions concerned oral hygiene habits, oral treatment need, use of dental care and dental materials. All questions had multiple-choice answers.
Results:
Most generally satisfied with their teeth (74%) were the 20 to 29-year-olds compared to 60% of the 50 to 69-year-olds. More specifically, concerning the teeth's appearances, 69% of 20 to 29-year-olds and 80 to 89-year-olds were satisfied compared to 57% of the 50 to 69-year-olds. Women were more satisfied with their teeth's appearance than men were. Of the 80 to 89-year-olds, 6% rated their dental health as worse than other people in their age group, with the average for other age groups being 15%. It was more common among women (10%) to experience headache several days a week than men (5%).
The perception of having bad breath and bad taste were more common among the younger individuals and decreased with age. Of the 80 to 89-year-olds, 45% had lost less than 5 teeth. Of the 20 to 29-year-olds, 25% had not received any restorative treatment, and by the age of 40 the corresponding percentage was 1%.
Conclusion:
The perceived oral health is, over all, good in this population. Curiously, most positive concerning their oral health are the 20 to 29-year-olds and 80 to 89-year-olds.