Self-perceived oral health and behaviour in Italian adolescents

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the self-perceived oral health habits and behaviours in a sample of Italian adolescents and to correlate these data with the most common disease indices. Material and methods: 913 subjects - 421 M 46.1%, and 492 F 53.9% (age range 14-20 years old) living in Milan were enrolled. The study design comprised: 1- Self-reported questionnaires; 2-Clinical registrations of oral health disease indices (DMFT and CPI). Mantel-Haenszel χ² tests were used to evaluate the associations between gender, clinical indices and self-perceived habits and behaviours. were used to evaluate the associations between gender, clinical indices and self-perceived habits and behaviours. Logistic regression models were run to evaluate differences in caries and gingivitis prevalence and self-perceived habits and behaviours. Results: Statistically differences regarding gender were found in relationship with gingivitis prevalence (p<0-01). In bivariate analysis, it was observed a significant association between caries positive experience (DMFT>0) and smoking habits (SH), consumption of carbohydrates and starch foods more than once a day (CD), frequency of dental check-ups (DCU) and consumption of sweet chewing-gum (CSG) (p<0.05). No significant association was found regarding self –perceived of the oral health status and caries prevalence. SH and CD were associated to DMFT>0 (OR= 1.07 (95%) CI 1.05-1.14 and OR=1.10 (95%) CI 1.02-1.21 respectively), while DCU was found to play a protective rule (OR= 0.91 (95%) CI 0.83-0.98). Using gingivitis's prevalence as dependent variable, a significant rule seemed to be played by gender and self-perceived oral health (OR= 0.48 (95%) CI 0.36-0.64 and OR= 0.74 (95%) CI 0.63-0.87). Conclusions: Adolescents' own perceptions of their oral health are partially a sign of clinically oral diseases; in our survey gingival disease is strongly gender related. Surveillance of oral health in young people should include information on self-perceived oral health.