Search

Objective 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. Methods A multistage stratified sampling method with equal capacity and simple random sampling was applied to obtain representative samples. A total of 7 680 students aged 12 to 15 were selected from Guangdong Province, with 1 920 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. Results 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). Conclusions 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.

Objective To understand the level and current status of oral health knowledge among people aged 35⁃44 years in Guangdong Province and to provide a reference for oral health education in Guangdong Province. Methods An equal⁃sized, stratified, multistage, random sampling design was applied to obtain representative sample groups consisting of 288 Guangdong residents aged 35⁃44 years in four urban areas and four rural areas with a gender ratio of one to one. According to the Guideline of the 4th National Oral Health Survey, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and a statistical analysis of the questionnaire responses related to oral health knowledge was performed. Results In total, 288 people participated in the survey, of which 95.8 percent were aware that“Oral health is very important to their own lives, and the prevention of oral diseases depends on themselves first” , 76.0% recognized that“Regular oral examination is very necessary” , and 66.7% disagreed that“Teeth were innate and had little to do with their own protection” . The percentages of participants that agreed with the statements“Eating sugar can cause dental caries” ,“Oral disease may affect general health” ,“Bacteria may cause dental caries”and“Bacteria may cause gum inflammation”were 87.2% , 84.7%, 80.9%, and 80.2%, respectively. However, the rates of awareness that teeth could be protected by fluoride and by pit and fissure sealant were only 36.8% and 18.8%, respectively. Conclusion General knowledge of oral health care was relatively high among adults aged 35 ⁃ 44 years in Guangdong Province, but knowledge of fluoride, pit and fissure sealing and caries prevention was relatively low. Oral health education should be continuously improved, especially regarding the popularization of oral health knowledge.