An epidemiological investigation of the oral health behavior of 7680 adolescents aged 12-15 years in Guangdong Province

To investigate the oral health behavior of urban and rural students in the 12～15 year age group in Guangdong Province, aiming to provide informational support for adolescent oral health care.

A multistage stratified sampling method with equal capacity and simple random sampling was applied to obtain representative samples. A total of 7680 students aged 12 to 15 were selected from Guangdong Province, with 1920 in each age group of 12, 13, 14 and 15 years; half were male and half were female, and half were from urban areas and half were from rural areas. According to the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiology Questionnaire Survey Program, a standard questionnaire was designed to conduct on-the-spot investigations on sugar intake, brushing, dental floss usage, fluoride toothpaste usage.

① Eating before a meal and before bed: the proportion of sweet snacks, sweet drinks and sugary drinks consumed ≥2 times/day was higher in the rural group than in the urban group (P < 0.001), with only sugary drinks consumed significantly differently by age (P < 0.001). ② The rural group had a significantly lower proportion of brushing ≥ 2 times/day, flossing habits and fluoride toothpaste habits than the urban group (P < 0.001), whereas only fluoride toothpaste habits were significantly different across age groups (P < 0.001).

Among the students aged 12 to 15 in Guangdong Province, the rural group had a higher proportion of consuming desserts, sweet drinks and sweetened drinks. The proportion of brushing ≥ 2 times/day was lower, and the usage rate of floss and fluoride toothpaste was lower.