A survey on oral health knowledge and behaviors of 15 to 17 years old students in Chaozhou

To investigate the oral health knowledge and behaviors of 15 to 17 years old students in Chao-zhou and provide necessary information for oral health care plans.

A questionnaire investigation was conducted among 933 students aged 15-17 years from Chaozhou. They were recruited using stratified cluster random samplingmethod. The questionnaire was designed on the basis of the questionnaire for the fourth national oral health survey as wellas the objectives of the present study. The questionnaire involved a range of questions, including demographic and socialinformation, oral health knowledge and behaviors. Analyses were made for the data of the questionnaire.

Only 13.1% of students knew that pit and fissure sealant can protect teeth. The girls (t = 5.198) and those whose father had higher education level (t = 2.667) had higher oral health knowledge score (P＜0.01). The frequency of tooth brushing was significantly associated with age (χ²= 23.002) and gender (χ²= 98.722) (P＜0.001). The girls and those who were older had higher proportions of brushing their teeth twice or more daily. 75.2% of students did not know whether the toothpaste they usedcontained fluoride or not, and 91.5% of students never used dental floss. The use of dental service was significant associated with gender (χ²= 16.406) and their maternal education level (χ²= 12.566) (P＜0.01).

The oral healthknowledge and behaviors of 15 to 17 years old students from Chaozhou are needed to be improved actively. Oral health education should be focused on those who are boys and younger, and whose parents have lower education level.