Article

Self-Control and Self-Confidence: Their Relationship to Self-Rated Oral Health Status and Behaviours

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self-control and self-confidence, and students' self-rated oral health and oral-health-related behaviours. The present study sample consisted of 178 first-year medical students. The questionnaire that was used in this study included information about sociodemographic factors, behavioural factors, self-reported oral health status, self-control and self-confidence. The results showed that mean levels of self-confidence in individuals with current extracted teeth and with poor/very poor perceived gingival condition were statistically significant and lower than those with no current extracted teeth and with self-rated excellent gingival health (P < 0.05). Also participants with self-reported gingival bleeding showed lower values of self-control compared with those with healthy non-bleeding gingiva (P < 0.05). When oral health behaviour was evaluated, it was shown that students with higher scores of self-control were more likely to use everyday mouthrinses (P < 0.05). The multiple linear regression analyses showed, for self-rated oral and gingival health status as dependent variable, a strong association with students' self-confidence level (P < 0.05). The results support the view that self-confidence is related with oral health status, and individuals with impaired oral and gingival health have a low self-confidence level.

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... Occupation is categorized as physical and non-physical. Farsi validated version of HADS [11] was used to assess the severity of depression (HADS-D) and anxiety (HADS-A) separately. Grading of these disorders based on acquired scores are: Normal, 0-7; mild, 8-10; moderate, 11-14; severe, 15-21. ...
... (27) Rating is based on the following criteria. HADS: Normal (0-7), mild (8-10), moderate (11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Oswestry: 0-20% mild, 20-40% moderate, 40-60% severe. ...
... The analysis showed that anxiety has a positive relationship with pocket depth, while satisfaction of life is related to regular use of dental floss. Therefore, it concluded from the results of these studies that there is a relationship between psychological factors and periodontitis [14,15]. Some authors show the positive relationship between depression and the number of missing teeth [16]. ...
... Due to the direct effect of anxiety on oral health, anxiety should be considered in therapeutic protocols. Other studies evaluated the relation of self-control and self-confidence with oral hygiene behaviors in students, showed that oral and gingival health had a strong correlation with self-confidence level as a dependent variable [15]. Deinzer et al in their studies evaluated the effect of academic stressors on gingival inflammation. ...
... 19 Overweight and obese individuals often have higher frequency of smoking, higher levels of depression and anxiety and lower level of life satisfaction. 20 Evidence shows that anxiety has a direct correlation with increased PPD while satisfaction with life is correlated with higher frequency of dental flossing. Thus, it may be concluded that psychological factors have a correlation with periodontitis and body mass index. ...
... Thus, it may be concluded that psychological factors have a correlation with periodontitis and body mass index. 19,20 On the other hand, some other studies failed to find a strong association between depression, anxiety and hopelessness with periodontitis. One possible reason may be the small sample size. ...
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Objectives Many researchers have attempted to link the current concepts of anxiety and depression to periodontal disease. This study aimed to compare the level of anxiety and depression in Iranian patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) and periodontally healthy controls. Methods Fifty CP patients and 50 periodontally healthy controls participated in this study according to our eligibility criteria. Periodontal clinical examination was performed using a Williams probe. The clinical attachment loss (CAL), pocket probing depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded for all teeth except for third molars. In order to psychologically assess the individuals, the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used. The mean scores of BAI and BDI were compared between the two groups using the Student t-test. Results The mean age of participants was 44.86±8.07 years. The mean score of BDI was 13.58±8.35 in periodontally healthy controls and 25.62±13.01 in CP patients. The mean score of BAI was 9.9±5.65 in the control and 21.02±13.63 in the test group. The Student t-test revealed a significant difference between the two groups in total score of BDI and BAI (P<0.000). A significant correlation was noted between the BDI and age (P=0.027) but BAI had no significant correlation with age (P=0.245). Conclusion According to the results of this study, the level of anxiety and depression in CP patients was higher than that in periodontally healthy controls in our study population.
... Estudos têm destacado a associação entre os hábitos de saúde, como os de higiene bucal 15,16 e geral 17 , utilização de serviços odontológicos 18 , uso de drogas, cigarro e bebidas alcoólicas 19 , com os fatores psicossociais 17,20 . Dentre esses, a autoestima pode ter relação com as práticas de saúde e mecanismos de estresse, que expõem os adolescentes ao aumento de riscos físicos e distúrbios psicológicos [21][22][23] . ...
... Ainda, reconhecendo a existência de um maior risco para saúde bucal entre pessoas com autoestima instável, esse sentimento também não influenciou a frequência da consulta odontológica e a razão principal dessa consulta, dos estudantes romenos interrogados por Dumitrescu et al. 26 . O mesmo aconteceu quando esses mesmos autores tentaram encontrar associação desses comportamentos com o autocontrole e a autoconfiança 16 . ...
Article
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This study investigated the mediation of self-esteem in adolescents' oral health behaviors. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale was used to assess self-esteem, whereas data from socio-demographic and behavior characteristics were analyzed by questions validated in previous surveys. The teenagers had good oral health behavior, except unhealthy diet. The number of adolescents with high self-esteem was a lot smaller than those with low self-esteem. The use of dental services, even when associated with high self-esteem, lost significance after being adjusted by sex, age and tooth brushing frequency. Nevertheless, multiple logistic regression analysis, using unadjusted estimates and adjusted with their respective Confidence Intervals of 95%, showed a relationship of self-esteem with age (p-value=0.001) and tooth brushing frequency (p-value=0.019). Regardless of the sex, students over 16 years old with high self-esteem brush their teeth more often, having probably better oral health. These results confirm the modulation of self-esteem in oral health, and then it is necessary the analysis and the use of these psychosocial factors in the young oral health care.
... The Oral Health Quality of Life (OH-QoL) questionnaire is a self-reported questionnaire that includes social, functional, and psychological items [4]. These items reflect respondents' selfesteem and satisfaction with and importance of oral health when eating, sleeping, and during social interaction [5,6]. As the responses might be subjective, it is necessary to take into consideration the current emotional state of the patients at the time of the survey, as even patients with severe oral conditions can report good QoL. ...
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Background This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dental health on quality of life (QoL) in 117 patients from Kosova, aged 6–80 years, using the Dental Impact on Daily Living (DL) questionnaire and the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) questionnaire. Material/Methods We recruited 117 patients, approximately half male and half female, aged 6–80 years. The subjects came for dental appointments and filled out 2 questionnaires: DIDL addressing questions on appearance, comfort, pain, performance and eating restriction, and OHRQoL assessing dental-specific questions for evaluation of satisfaction with oral health, and evaluation of importance they attribute to oral health. Collected data included age, gender, income, education level, and frequency of brushing teeth per day. Results The participants were relatively satisfied with their DIDL health (score >0) and also had positive views on OHRQoL (score >0). No participants evaluated the appearance, comfort, eating restrictions, or pain as satisfactory. Comparisons of age, gender, education, income level, and frequency of brushing teeth showed that female participants evaluated their DIDL higher than male participants (P=0.043). Age was correlated with the frequency of teeth brushing per day (rho=−0.450; P<0.001). Gender, age, education level, income level, and frequency of teeth brushing did not influence QoL. Conclusions This small study from Kosovo showed reasonable satisfaction with oral health and its associated QoL. While participants reported good effects of oral health on their QoL, they were least satisfied with comfort and most satisfied with their performance.
... Other studies had similar findings and showed that self-confidence is associated with different health domains. In a crosssectional study at Carroll Diola University in Romania on 178 first-year medical students (Dumitrescu, Dogaru, and Dogaru 2009), the results showed that students with better general health and better oral health had better self-confidence than students with poor health status. Similar to our study, a study of 386 Swedish women and 201 American women in 2006 (Hildingh et al. 2006) found that people with better mood conditions had better self-confidence, and people with better general health have better mood conditions. ...
Article
Self-confidence is an attribute of the individual that enables one to have a positive or realistic view of themselves or the situations in which they exist. Investigations have shown that people with high self-confidence may have better general health. Based on our knowledge, no study has been conducted on the relationship between self-confidence and students’ health status so far in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between Self-rated health and self-confidence among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study was performed on 600 students of different faculties at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. To measure self-confidence, the validated personal evaluation inventory (PEI) questionnaire and demographic characteristics questionnaire, suitable for Iranian medical students was used. To measure students’ Self-rated health as a dependent variable of the study, a standard question was used. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariable logistic regression. Of the 600 students who participated in the study, 322 (53.67%) were female and 278 (46.33%) were male. The overall mean score of students’ self-confidence was 66.71% (standard deviation = 10.42). In terms of Self-rated health, most participants reported good status (69.54% in females and 65.51% in males). The results showed the probability of having good health was associated with the rising of mean scores of self-confidence. It is recommended to educational policymakers to consider general and mental health and personal relationships as factors related to self-confidence and perform the necessary interventions needed to increase the level of self-confidence among students.
... Özgüven, insanların günlük yaşamlarında en etkili motivasyon ve davranış düzenleyicilerinden biri olarak kabul edilmektedir. Özgüvenin, cinsiyet, mutluluk, yalnızlık, stres, kaygı, mükemmeliyetçilik, fiziksel uygunluk, sigara içme ve uyuşturucu kullanımı ile ilişkili olduğu bildirilmektedir (8). Literatürde ağız sağlığı davranışlarının, kişilerin benlik saygısı, öz-yeterlik, yaşam doyumu, iyimserlik, tutarlılık, kaygı, depresyon, odaklanma, stres ve alaycı düşmanlık duygusu gibi çeşitli psikolojik özellikleriyle ilişkili olduğu gösterilmektedir (9). ...
Article
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INTRODUCTION: Periodontal diseases may develop due to many facilitating factors. The most important is the inadequate oral hygiene. It is stated that periodontal diseases may be associated not only with oral cavity but also with systemic conditions and psychosocial characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between individuals' periodontal health and self-confidence levels in terms of various clinical parameters. In addition, smile aesthetic index (SAI) scores were evaluated and correlated with the parameters examined. METHODS: The study was conducted on 126 volunteer individuals that aged between 18-65 years, who were referred to the Periodontology clinic for routine gingival treatment. Each participant was administered 33-item self-confidence scale consisting of 2 sub-categories: internal and external self-confidence. Routine periodontal parameters including the gingival index, plaque index and probing depth and SAI score were recorded. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 60.3% of the participants were between the ages of 18-30 and 45.2% had university or higher education. There was no statistically significant difference both between periodontal parameter and self-confidence scores and between SAI and self-confidence scores (P > 0.05). SAI score was significantly higher in patients with gingivitis compared to periodontitis (p=0.005). External self-confidence score of males was found to be significantly higher than females (P < 0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of this study didn't confirm a positive correlation between parameters showing periodontal health and self-confidence scores. This situation can be related with majority of the participants are young and highly educated. More comprehensive studies with increased sample size are needed.
... 21 Psychosocial research suggests that there is a link between beauty and health; adults with excellent dental esthetics have more favorable oral-hygiene attitudes and preventive behaviors (toothbrushing and dental visits) than those with adverse dental esthetics. 22,23 The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the longitudinal changes in the position of singleimplant prostheses adjacent to teeth in the anterior maxilla of adult patients. The secondary aim was to associate the observed changes with patient-or surgeryrelated parameters, including the following: (1) sex; ...
Article
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of continuous tooth eruption on the outcomes of single-implant-supported restorations in the anterior maxilla of adults. Materials and methods: Seventy-six patients (age: 21 to 78 years) treated with single-implant-supported restorations in the esthetic zone were included. Radiographs obtained at crown placement and follow-up examinations from 1 to 15 years postloading were analyzed with regard to vertical incisal plane changes of the implant-supported crown relative to adjacent teeth. Results: Infraocclusion increased over time by 0.08 ± 0.02 mm/year. Infraocclusion was more pronounced (P = .04) for delayed (0.09 mm/year) versus immediate implant placement (0.06 mm/year) and for younger versus older adults (0.0013 mm/year per additional year of age; P = .014). No statistically significant association between infraocclusion and sex, ethnicity, implant site, timing of implant temporization, surgical protocol, and type of restoration was found. Conclusion: Infraocclusion of single-implant-supported maxillary anterior restorations may result in esthetic concerns over time. Greater infraocclusion occurs in delayed implant placement and in younger individuals.
... Individuals with gingival bleeding were also more likely to express worry about the color of their gingiva and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth. This may be hinged on the fact that gingival bleeding exerts unfavorable effect on esthetics and self-esteem, [16] self-control, [17] oral health-related quality of life, [18] and occurs with other indicator of poor oral health like poor oral hygiene, altered gingival appearance, halitosis, toothache, gingival recession, and tooth mobility. ...
Article
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Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between self-reported gingival bleeding, oral health perception, practices, and concerns. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional survey among undergraduates of University of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia using a self-administered item structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences and P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The response rate was 96.3%. The prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding among respondents was 48.79%. Individuals with gingival bleeding were significantly more likely to rate their dental and gingival health as fair/poor, use of strong brushing stroke during tooth brushing and worsening condition of teeth despite daily tooth brushing. They also expressed worry about the gingival color and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth and to have received professional instruction on tooth brushing. Conclusion: Data from this survey revealed an established relationship between gingival bleeding, perceived dental and gingival health, worry about the color of gingiva, satisfaction with the appearance of the teeth, and visiting dental office because of gingival bleeding.
... Other factors that we did not measure may have played a mediating role in the relation between general health and OHRQoL, in particular personality traits (e.g. [28,45,46]), and oral health attitudes (e.g. [47][48][49]), but also dental attendance and oral hygiene habits [50]. ...
Article
Objectives: To examine relationships between oral health (OH) factors and general health (GH) factors (including physical, mental, and social health domains), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a care-independent and a care-dependent older population. Methods: Care-independent participants (n=109) were recruited from the Nijmegen dental school; care-dependent participants (n=126) from residential aged care facilities. Data collected included: OHRQoL (Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI)), age, gender, socioeconomic status, number of teeth and occluding pairs, presence of carious teeth, presence of removable dental prostheses, clinically assessed treatment need (CTN), self-reported GH, and, only for care-dependent participants: care-dependency level and health domain variables: physical, mental (SF-12: Physical and Mental Component Summary scores), and social (ENRICHD social support index). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations with GOHAI scores. Results: Mean GOHAI scores of care-independent (51.6±7.4) and care-dependent participants (52.1±6.7) did not differ significantly despite considerably worse OH status of the latter. Regression models revealed significant (p≤0.05) associations between GOHAI scores and age, prosthodontic status, and CTN in care-independent participants (R2=0.19) and only with CTN in care-dependent participants. (R2=0.09). Self-reported GH was not significantly associated with GOHAI; when substituted by the health domain variables, only social support was significantly associated with GOHAI scores. Conclusions: GOHAI outcomes are associated with different variables in care-independent and care-dependent older subjects. In care-dependent subjects, GOHAI outcomes are more strongly related to social support than to OH factors or other GH factors. Clinical significance: OHRQoL outcomes should not be compared across care-dependent and care-independent populations without careful interpretation of these outcomes against specific factors that distinguish such populations, like health factors and living environment.
... 14 Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgment, and it has been previously confirmed that self-confidence is related to body satisfaction, especially satisfaction with the head area and oral health status, with subjects exhibiting gingivitis and extracted teeth particularly demonstrating low self-confidence. 16,17 Self-perceived malocclusion was the weakest predictor of social impact of dental esthetics, accounting for 11% of variability. Social impact and esthetic concern decreased with age, while the female sex was related to increased esthetic concern and psychological impact of dental esthetics. ...
Article
Objective: To explore the mediation and moderation effects of personality traits on the relationship between self-perceived malocclusion and the psychosocial impact of dental esthetics. Materials and methods: The sample included 252 subjects (62% female) aged 12-39 years. Self-perceived malocclusion was estimated using the 10-point scale Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. The Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire was used to assess the psychological impact and the Big Five Inventory for personality traits. Moderation and mediation effects were evaluated with Pearson correlations and stepwise regression analysis, respectively. Results: Self-perceived malocclusion ranged from 1 to 8 and was the most significant predictor of psychosocial impact of dental esthetics, whose unique contribution accounted for 11%-36.4% of variability, while age and sex accounted for 1.2%-2.5%. Personality traits had no mediating effect on this relationship. The moderating effect of agreeableness was present in the relationship between self-perceived degree of malocclusion and Social Impact (SI), Psychological Impact (PI), and Aesthetic Concern (AC) (ΔR2 = 0.035, 0.020, and 0.013, respectively; P < .001), while conscientiousness affected the relationship between perception of malocclusion and SI and PI (ΔR2 = 0.018 and 0.016, respectively; P < .05). In people with lower agreeableness and conscientiousness, increasing the severity of self-perceived malocclusion leads to less increase in SI and PI. In people with lower agreeableness, the increase influences AC in a similar manner. Extraversion, neuroticism, and openness do not have a moderating effect. Conclusions: The relationship between self-perceived malocclusion and the psychosocial impact of dental esthetics appears to be moderated and not mediated by personality traits. Adolescents and young adults with lower agreeableness and conscientiousness seem to be less affected by the increased severity of self-perceived malocclusion, as demonstrated in reporting some psychosocial impacts.
... Individuals with gingival bleeding were also more likely to express worry about the color of their gingiva and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth. This may be hinged on the fact that gingival bleeding exerts unfavorable effect on esthetics and self-esteem, 18 self-control, 19 oral health-related quality of life 20 and occurs with other indicator of poor oral health like poor oral hygiene, altered gingival appearance, halitosis, toothache, gingival recession, and tooth mobility. ...
Article
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The objective was to determine the relationship between self-reported gingival bleeding, oral health perception, practices and concerns. This cross-sectional survey among undergraduates of University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria was conducted between April and May, 2011 using a self-administered 21-item structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences and P<0.05 was considered significant. Out of the 400 questionnaires that were distributed, 338 were returned filled giving a retrieval rate of 84.5%. About three-quarters (71.3%) of the respondents were younger than 22 years. Males constituted 65.1% while the remaining 34.9% were females. The prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding among respondents in this study was 12.7%. Individuals with gingival bleeding were significantly more likely to rate their dental and gingival health as fair/poor, use strong brushing stroke during tooth brushing and report worsening condition of teeth despite daily tooth brushing, express worry about the gingival color and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth and to have received professional instruction on tooth brushing. Data from this survey revealed an established relationship between gingival bleeding, perceived dental and gingival health, tooth brushing force, professional instruction on tooth brushing, perception of the condition of teeth in relation to daily tooth brushing, worry about the color of gingiva, and satisfaction with the appearance of the teeth.
... Individuals with gingival bleeding were also more likely to express worry about the color of their gingiva and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth. This may be hinged on the fact that gingival bleeding exerts unfavorable effect on esthetics and self-esteem, 18 self-control, 19 oral health-related quality of life 20 and occurs with other indicator of poor oral health like poor oral hygiene, altered gingival appearance, halitosis, toothache, gingival recession, and tooth mobility. ...
Article
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Dental caries is a prevalent chronic disease among adolescents. Caries activity increases significantly during adolescence due to an increase in susceptible tooth surfaces, immature permanent tooth enamel, independence in pursuing self-care, and a tendency toward poor diet and oral hygiene. Dental caries in permanent teeth is more prevalent among adolescents in low-income families and racial/ethnic minority groups, and these disparities in adolescent dental caries experience have persisted for decades. Several conceptual and data-driven models have proposed unidirectional mechanisms that contribute to the extant disparities in adolescent dental caries experience. Our objective, using a literature review, is to provide an overview of risk factors contributing to adolescent dental caries. Specifically, we map the interactive relationships of multilevel factors that influence dental caries among adolescents. Such interactive multilevel relationships more closely reflect the complex nature of dental caries experience among the adolescent population. The methods that we use are two-fold: (1) a literature review using PubMed and Cochrane databases to find contributing factors; and (2) the system dynamics approach for mapping feedback mechanisms underlying adolescent dental caries through causal loop diagramming. The results of this study, based on the review of 138 articles, identified individual, family and community-level factors and their interactions contributing to dental caries experience in adolescents. Our results also provide hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying persistence of dental caries among adolescents. Conclusions Our findings may contribute to a deeper understanding of the multilevel and interconnected factors that shape the persistence of dental caries experience among adolescents.
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Objectives: Understanding the psychological mechanisms that moderate oral hygiene self-care behavior is anticipated to benefit efforts to change such behavior. Top-down self-regulatory (TSR) processes represent one group of relatively unexplored, yet potentially influential, moderating factors. This systematic scoping review aims to explore whether there is evidence that TSR processes moderate oral hygiene self-care engagement within the current literature. Methods: CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched up to April 2020 for articles that compared measures of TSR processes (such as self-monitoring, inhibitory control, and task switching) to oral hygiene self-care behavior, or tested interventions that aimed to change or support TSR processes. Results: The search returned 6626 articles, with 25 included in the final sample. Weak evidence supported both the role of TSR processes as moderators of interdental cleaning and the value of interventions targeting self-monitoring of interdental cleaning behavior. Overall, methodological limitations rendered the findings somewhat inconclusive, with an absence of objective assessments of TSR capacity, and little focus on TSR processes as moderators of intervention effects. Conclusions: The inconclusive, but reasonably promising, findings point to the value of continuing to apply TSR processes within studies of oral hygiene behavior. Exploring why interdental cleaning appears more reliant on TSR processes than toothbrushing, employing objective neuropsychological assessment, and measuring TSR constructs within interventions targeting TSR processes, are encouraged. As a scoping review, the study hopes to generate interest and serve as a starting point for further investigation.
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Although oral hygiene is known to impact self-confidence and self-esteem, little is known about how it influences our interpersonal behavior. Using a wearable, multi-sensor device, we examined differences in consumers’ individual and interpersonal confidence after they had or had not brushed their teeth. Students (N = 140) completed nine one-to-one, 3-minute “speed dating” interactions while wearing a device that records verbal, nonverbal, and mimicry behavior. Half of the participants brushed their teeth using Close-Up toothpaste (Unilever) prior to the interactions, whilst the other half abstained from brushing that morning. Compared to those who had not brushed their teeth, participants who had brushed were more verbally confident (i.e., spoke louder, over-talked more), showed less nonverbal nervousness (i.e., fidgeted less), and were more often perceived as being “someone similar to me.” These effects were moderated by attractiveness but not by self-esteem or self-monitoring.
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Objectives Children's self‐control is associated with various behaviour‐related health problems in childhood and later in life. However, studies on self‐control and dental caries, strongly associated with toothbrushing or drinking and eating behaviour, are limited. We investigated the association between self‐control and the number of decayed or filled primary teeth (dft) among first‐grade children (6‐7 years old) in Japan and evaluated the mediation effect of oral health behaviour on this association. Methods A cross‐sectional study of all first‐grade elementary school children and their caregivers in Adachi ward (Tokyo) was conducted in 2015. Clinically determined dft status among children and caregiver‐administered questionnaires on self‐control was linked (n = 4291; valid response rate = 80.1%). Self‐control was assessed by the following single question: “in the last month, was your child able to give up on things they want or do things that they do not like to do for better future outcomes?” Poisson regression analysis was conducted adjusting for age in months, sex, parental educational attainment and household income. Mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the mediation effects of toothbrushing frequency, frequency of drinking sugar‐sweetened beverages and snack‐eating habits on the association. Results Lower self‐control was associated with higher dft after adjusting for all covariates (mean ratio = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.12). Toothbrushing frequency, frequency of drinking sugar‐sweetened beverages and snack‐eating habits mediated 18.1%, 36.1% and 38.3% of the association between self‐control and dft, respectively. Conclusions Strengthening children's self‐control might decrease their dental caries by improving their oral health behaviour.
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Introduction: Several studies have shown that self perceived dental appearance is an important determinant in the decision to seek treatment. Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the self-perceived oral health knowledge, attitude, practice, behaviour and perception among 18-20 year old students of professional healthcare institutions in Belagavi city, Karnataka. Materials and methods: The novel 21 item Oro-Facial Investment Scale (OFIS) formulated for this study was distributed to 600 students of professional healthcare institutions (200 each from Medical, Physiotherapy and Ayurveda specialties respectively). Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were applied. Results: Total 98.17% practiced the use of facial and oral care products on a regular basis. All 600 participants disagreed that they hate their facial appearance and the way their teeth looked. Out of 200 Ayurveda students, 37 were unsatisfied with the appearance of their teeth. Also, majority of the respondents agreed that they take prompt care of oral wounds or lesions. While majority of the subjects did not feel conscious when a dentist checks their teeth, a robust 153 respondents expressed their reservations for their dental examination to be performed. Conclusion: The OFIS seamlessly amalgamates the dental unit with the immediate facial components; hence, bringing together, in harmony, a multifaceted dimension in self assessment of the overall facial and dental behavioural practices.
Chapter
Though periodontal diseases are mainly affected by behaviors determined by social and psychological factors, periodontists have not seriously considered psychosocial pathways in its etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. But a sound understanding of the psychosocial pathways of the behaviors strongly linked to periodontal diseases, and how psychological factors affect the response of the periodontal tissues to pathogens, is essential for diagnosis and improving interventions. Indeed, the poor results, both in behavioral and in therapeutic interventions to improve periodontal health stem from a failure to fully develop a general etiological model. The relative ineffectiveness of interventions stems from the failure to take psychosocial pathways into account (Sheiham and Nicolau 2005).
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Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the dental fear, self-esteem, and self-regulation in oral health quality of life in the adolescents. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by the 826 adolescents from March 5 to 16, 2012 in J city. Results : Higher self-esteem({\beta}
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Objectives : The purpose of this study was to survey Korean solders' oral healthcare recognition and perceived oral health concern. Methods : The data was collected from a questionnaire given 157 soldiers in Chungcheongnamdo. The data was analyzed into t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results : 25.5% replied that they were concerned about oral health. Soldiers who have received oral healthcare education exhibited higher recognition on the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease. Moreover, those who have used oral hygiene devices also showed higher recognition on the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease. The recognition of preventive effects on dental caries, in particular, showed a statistically significant difference (p
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Claims that attributions and their related behaviors may reflect a type of perceived control that is generally overlooked. People attempt to gain control by bringing the environment into line with their wishes (primary control) and by bringing themselves into line with environmental forces (secondary control). Four manifestations of secondary control are considered: (a) Attributions to severely limited ability can serve to enhance predictive control and protect against disappointment; (b) attributions to chance can reflect illusory control, since people often construe chance as a personal characteristic akin to an ability ("luck"); (c) attributions to powerful others permit vicarious control when the individual identifies with these others; and (d) the preceding attributions may foster interpretive control, in which the individual seeks to understand and derive meaning from otherwise uncontrollable events in order to accept them. (5½ p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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In addition to the influences of family dynamics, educational and vocational factors on the social development and rehabilitation of CLP patients, psychological problems, such as lowered self-esteem and difficulties during social interaction, are also experienced by CLP individuals. As only 20 per cent of cleft teams world-wide carry out a psychological assessment for their patients, it is likely that the prevalence of psychological problems is higher than the literature suggests. To maximize the chances of a positive outcome in the care of cleft affected individuals, CLP patients who are concerned about their appearance or who experience psychosocial problems need to be identified by cleft teams. Interventions, such as counselling or social interaction skills training, should be offered in order that the patient's self-esteem and social self-confidence can be increased. Current research surrounding patient and parent satisfaction with cleft care suffers from several areas of methodological weakness.
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This study compares the psychometric characteristics of four questionnaires designed to assess self-control skills: the Self-Control Questionnaire, the Frequency of Self-Reinforcement Questionnaire, the Cognitive Self-Management Test, and the Lifestyle Approaches Inventory. Content validity was judged to be fairly comparable by three raters in Study 1. In Study 2, convergent and divergent validity support was obtained for all four questionnaires when administered to 369 multiethnic college students, but the relative degree of support varied across constructs. Hence, selection of a self-control instrument may be guided by the target behavior of interest.
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Predictions made by the self-control strength model were tested in a sample of underage social drinkers using ecological momentary assessment methodology. On days that participants experienced more self-control demands than average, they were more likely to violate their self-imposed drinking limit after controlling for mood and urge to drink. There was no relationship between self-control demands and urge or intention to drink, nor were self-control demands related to plans to limit drinking. When individuals planned to limit their alcohol intake, they were more affected by self-control demands than when they did not plan to limit their alcohol intake. Trait self-control moderated these relationships. Consistent with the self-control strength model, it appears that exerting self-control in nondrinking areas undermines individuals' capacity to exert self-control of drinking in daily life.
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An important goal of health promotion is to make it easier for people to make healthy choices. However, this may be difficult if people do not feel control over their environment and their personal circumstances. An important concept in relation to this is empowerment. Health professionals are expected to facilitate and enable people moving towards empowerment. In this paper, we address the question what is meant by individual empowerment. In an attempt to provide a theoretical framework, we discuss individual empowerment from a salutogenic perspective. This perspective introduces two fundamental concepts: the general resistance resources, and the sense of coherence. In addition, in order to further clarify and operationalise the concept, some factors influencing individual empowerment are identified, that is, locus of control, learned helplessness, self-efficacy and outcome expectations. These concepts find common ground in feelings of (lack of) control, but they differ in stability and changeability. We provide some suggestions how these factors can be influenced, and we discuss the meaning of the identified factors for empowering interactions between professionals and their clients. Health professionals can facilitate people to see a correspondence between their efforts and the outcomes thereof, improve and facilitate health literacy, in a relationship which can be characterised as partnership.
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The authors tested how behavioral and emotional self-control are related to adolescent substance (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) use. Data were obtained from 489 middle school students and 602 high school students. Multiple indicators were developed for each domain of self-control, and confirmatory analyses were used to test the measurement structure of latent constructs. Results showed that the domains of behavioral self-control and emotional self-control were statistically distinct, and both were related to adolescent substance use. Structural modeling analyses indicated indirect effects for self-control constructs primarily through pathways to competence and recent events. In addition, poor behavioral control had a direct effect to deviant peer affiliations, and poor emotional control had a direct effect to coping motives for substance use. The results indicate that both types of self-regulation are relevant for adolescent substance use. Implications for prevention and treatment research are discussed.
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Data sources Medline and bibliographies of identified studies.Study selectionOnly studies that validated the self-reporting of periodontal and or gingival disease were included.Data extraction and synthesisData on population characteristics, sampling criteria, method of self-reporting (self-assessment, questionnaire, interview) self-reported questions, clinical gold standards and the results of the validation study were recorded by a single abstracter and verified by a second author. Qualitative summary was carried out due to variation in reported statistical methods.ResultsSixteen studies were included, seven specific for gingivitis, four included only periodontitis with five including both gingivitis and periodontitis.Conclusions Some measures show promise, but results varied across populations and self-reported measures. Potentially higher validity could be obtained by using several self-reported questions and other predictors of periodontal disease.
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Transition to adulthood is a period in life when women encounter conflicts, ambiguities and rapidly expanding roles that may be stressful and difficult to manage. The aim of this study was to compare stress in daily life, health complaints and self-confidence in 26-year old women in two different cultures. A health survey study was performed among Swedish women (n = 386) and American women (n = 201) living in urban areas at the West coast of Sweden and in Minnesota. Both Swedish and American women reported stress in their everyday life, with higher figures for the Americans. Overall health was rated lower by the Swedish women and they reported more health complaints such as headache, general tiredness, irritability, depression and sleeping disorders. There was a difference between groups in self-confidence with higher figures for excellent self-confidence among American women. However, low self-confidence was reported by more American than Swedish women. A good work situation predicted self-confidence in Swedish women and financial confidence in American women. Physical fitness was associated with self-confidence in both groups. Young women in both cultures experienced high level of stress but health related complaints were more common among Swedish women. High stress and health complaints must be taken seriously and interventions to support young women in the midst of transition to adulthood should contain stress reduction as well as empowerment performed in a more effective way than today in different health care settings and at place of work.
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The setting of high standards is an integral part of elite sports, and often beneficial for the athlete's performance. However, individuals who are characterized by frequent cognitions about the attainment of ideal, perfectionistic standards, have been shown to be likely to experience heightened levels of anxiety, due to discrepancies between ideal and current self/situation. This could of course be detrimental to their sport performance. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between different patterns of perfectionistic dimensions and sport-related competitive anxiety and self-confidence, for elite athletes with different self-esteem strategies. The results revealed that the relation between self-esteem and perfectionism differs depending on which dimensions of self-esteem and perfectionism that are being considered. Athletes with a high self-esteem based on a respect and love for themselves had more positive patterns of perfectionism, whereas athletes who have a self-esteem that is dependent on competence aspects showed a more negative perfectionism. Further, negative patterns of perfectionism were in the present study related to higher levels of cognitive anxiety and lower levels of self-confidence. Hence, it seems that sport related anxiety is positively associated to certain patterns of perfectionism, patterns that are more common in individuals with specific self-esteem strategies.
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The concept of ‘self-control,” until recently embedded in intrapsychic personality theories and banished from strict behavioral accounts of human activity, is considered from the perspective of a closed-loop learning paradigm. In considering self-regulatory and self-control behavior, an attempt is made (1) to extricate these concepts from the realm of philosophical debate on the image of man, (2) to point to their growing relevance in the context of rapidly changing environments, (3) to provide behavioral definitions and a tentative and testable process model, and (4) to outline their clinical (therapeutic) implications. The current conceptualization emphasizes (a) the contractual elements in self-control, (b) the critical importance of insuring the link between intentions (often of a verbal variety) and behavioral execution, and (c) the interdependence of external and internal controlling variables. In a larger context, the paper seeks to show how man's “selfreflectiveness” can be incorporated within an empirically based behavior theory. Suggestions for research are presented.
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This longitudinal study examined gender differences among secondary teacher candidates across three categories of criterion measures: (a) levels of self-confidence in teaching, (b) anticipated sources of professional knowledge, and (c) educational orientations and beliefs. Relative to males, females entered teacher preparation programs with lower levels of confidence in themselves as teachers and higher expectations for what they would gain from education courses and practical experiences related to teaching. Females were also more likely to favor student-centered approaches to instruction and to believe that instructional strategies have limited generalizability. These differences in self-confidence and educational beliefs persisted to program completion.
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This study examined differences in intensity and direction of symptoms of competitive state anxiety in high and low competitive subjects from the sports of rugby union, basketball, soccer, and field hockey. The 69 men were dichotomized via a median-split into high and low competitive groups based on their scores on the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. All subjects completed a modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 30 minutes prior to competition. This inventory included the original intensity scale plus a direction scale on which subjects rated the extent the experienced intensity of each symptom was either facilitative or debilitative to subsequent performance. There were no significant group differences on intensity of cognitive anxiety or of somatic anxiety or on direction of somatic anxiety; however, the highly competitive group of 34 subjects reported their anxiety as more facilitative and less debilitative than the low competitive group (n = 35). This supports the proposal that sports performers' directional perceptions of their anxiety symptoms may provide further understanding of the competitive state-anxiety response.
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One hundred twenty-three male veterans were randomly assigned to control, education, and psychological groups to improve oral hygiene behavior. The educational group received four 40-min sessions designed to increase knowledge of the causes and prevention of dental disease. The psychological intervention also consisted of four 40-min sessions. However, a psychologist provided the intervention using a Stage of Change intervention. The control group received pre- and post-testing only. There were no significant changes in dental knowledge for the control group while the increases in dental knowledge in the educational and psychological groups were similar and statistically significant. Pre-Post change scores for flossing self-efficacy scores showed significant changes for all groups. The magnitude of changes was similar when the control and educational groups were compared. In contrast, the psychological intervention group demonstrated significantly greater flossing self-efficacy changes when compared to either the control or the educational groups. These results suggest that increases in self-efficacy may be an important component of interventions designed to change health behavior and may serve a role in evaluating and comparing the efficacy of these interventions.
Article
The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of a self-reported periodontal disease measure for use in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participating dentists responded to the question "Have you had periodontal disease with bone loss?" Radiographs obtained from 140 participants were evaluated for bone loss at 32 posterior sites and used as the standard. A site was positive if it had bone loss > 2 mm and/or complete loss of crestal lamina dura. To avoid falsely classifying participants as positive, three blinded examiners independently evaluated each participant's radiographs. An a priori decision rule was used to classify a participant positive if all examiners independently assessed the same two or more sites positive. The validity of the self-reported measure was good among dentists, with positive and negative predictive values of 0.76 and 0.74, respectively. Among nondentists, the self-reported measure showed discriminatory power by confirming associations with known risk factors such as age and smoking. Dentists have a good perception of their periodontal status, and there is reasonable consensus among dentists regarding the threshold for defining periodontal disease. Self-reported measures might have potential for use in studies of other populations with substantial cost reduction, and deserve further evaluation.
Article
The first two surveys of the dental health of young Finnish men were conducted in 1919 and 1965. The objective of four subsequent surveys (1976, 1981, 1986, and 1991) was to collect both interview and clinical examination data for the monitoring of changes in the oral health status of the recruits. A significant reduction in self-reported toothache, gingival bleeding, and number of decayed teeth was observed from 1976 to 1991. At examination, the numbers of decayed teeth, teeth indicated for extraction, teeth in need of fillings, and missing teeth decreased substantially, as did the teeth with visible plaque, subgingival calculus, and teeth with 4-mm or deeper periodontal pockets. This comprehensive series of successive cross-sectional oral health surveys clearly shows that since 1976 a significant decrease in oral disease and treatment needs has taken place among the Finnish population of young men.
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In order to measure social cognitive constructs in the oral hygiene domain, questionnaires containing self-efficacy and outcome expectation items were developed. Items were generated to measure personal beliefs in brushing and flossing ability under a variety of circumstances, and expected outcomes from performing oral hygiene behaviors that might be positive, negative, primary and secondary. In the first study, factor scales were developed on the basis of the responses from 90 subjects awaiting dental treatment. Principal components analyses with varimax rotation revealed two self-efficacy and four outcome expectations dimensions that explained 73% and 51% of the variance, respectively. A second study that utilized 103 government employees was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the questionnaires. All scales demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest stability. Correlations with extra test measures provided preliminary evidence for the validity of the instruments.
Article
Successful treatment of dental caries, periodontal diseases and diabetes requires persistent daily self-care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of self-efficacy as a common behavioral factor determining oral health behavior, diabetes self-care, and actual health status. Cross-sectional data relating to 149 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients were collected from patient records, and by clinical oral examination and a quantitative questionnaire. The study population was recruited from different locations, and the participation percentage was 80%. Self-efficacy scales associated with corresponding behaviors, and a dental self-efficacy scale also correlated with dental caries. Dental self-efficacy correlated with diabetes self-efficacy, diabetes adherence, and with HbA1c. Also, logistic regression analysis revealed that dental self-efficacy was related to diabetes adherence. Further, those diabetics reporting a high frequency of dental visiting had higher diabetes self-efficacy. As a conclusion, good dental self-efficacy has a positive influence on diabetes adherence. The results suggest that the perception of self-efficacy may be a common behavioral factor determining diabetes self-care and oral health behavior.
Article
The association of stress, distress, and coping behaviors with periodontal disease was assessed. A cross-sectional study of 1,426 subjects between the ages of 25 and 74 years in Erie County, New York, was carried out to assess these relationships. Subjects were asked to complete a set of 5 psychosocial questionnaires which measure psychological traits and attitudes including discrete life events and their impact; chronic stress or daily strains; distress; coping styles and strategies; and hassles and uplifts. Clinical assessment of supragingival plaque, gingival bleeding, subgingival calculus, probing depth, clinical attachment level (CAL) and radiographic alveolar crestal height (ACH) was performed, and 8 putative bacterial pathogens from the subgingival flora measured. Reliability of subjects' responses and internal consistencies of all the subscales on the instruments used were high, with Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.88 for financial strain to 0.99 for job strain, uplifts, and hassles. Logistic regression analysis indicated that, of all the daily strains investigated, only financial strain was significantly associated with greater attachment and alveolar bone loss (odds ratio, OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.65 and OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.37, respectively) after adjusting for age, gender, and cigarette smoking. When coping behaviors were evaluated, it was found that those with more financial strain who were high emotion-focused copers (a form of inadequate coping) had a higher risk of having more severe attachment loss (OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.15 to 4.38) and alveolar bone loss (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.15 to 3.17) than those with low levels of financial strain within the same coping group, after adjustment for age, gender, and cigarette smoking. Similar results were found among the low problem-focused copers for AL (OR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.11 to 4.38) and ACH (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.28 to 3.51). However, subjects with high levels of financial strain who reported high levels of problem-based coping (considered adequate or good coping) had no more periodontal disease than those with low levels of financial strain, suggesting that the effects of stress on periodontal disease can be moderated by adequate coping behaviors. We find that psychosocial measures of stress associated with financial strain and distress manifest as depression, are significant risk indicators for more severe periodontal disease in adults in an age-adjusted model in which gender (male), smoking, diabetes mellitus, B. forsythus, and P. gingivalis are also significant risk indicators. Of considerable interest is the fact that adequate coping behaviors as evidenced by high levels of problem-based coping, may reduce the stress-associated risk. Further studies also are needed to help establish the time course of stress, distress, and inadequate coping with respect to the onset and progression of periodontal disease, and the mechanisms that explain this association.
Article
Because of a mutual association between severity of periodontitis and poor control of IDDM, regular dental visits and daily oral care are important among diabetics. The aim was to develop a method for analysing dental self-efficacy and to study the relationship between dental self-efficacy and reported oral health behaviour and oral hygiene. The relationship between oral health behaviour and HbA1c level was also studied. Data were collected in relation to 149 IDDM patients by means of a quantitative questionnaire, evaluation of dental plaque and patient records. Results showed that tooth brushing self-efficacy, approximal cleaning self-efficacy and dental visiting self-efficacy related to corresponding reported oral health behaviour (p<0.0005). Visible plaque index (VPI) correlated inversely with tooth brushing self-efficacy (r(s) = -0.208, p = 0.012) and dental visiting self-efficacy (r(s) = -0.240, p = 0.004). Approximal cleaning self-efficacy correlated with age (r(s) = 0.225, p = 0.006) and dental visiting self-efficacy was related to higher professional level of education (p = 0.009). Those having better tooth brushing self-efficacy (p = 0.020), higher frequency of tooth brushing (p = 0.032) and lower VPI (p<0.0005) had better HbA1c level. It was concluded that perception of dental self-efficacy plays a decisive rôle in relation to oral health behaviour in diabetic patients, and that compliance with dental recommendations is also related to HbA1c level.
Article
This study set out to determine to what extent recalled parental rearing styles (authoritarian, authoritativeness, permissiveness), personality (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, lie), and self-esteem predicted self-rated happiness in a normal, nonclinical, population of young people in their late teens and early 20s. Each participant completed a few questionnaires: the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (revised), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Parental Authority Questionnaire and the Oxford Happiness Inventory. It was predicted that sex, extraversion, neuroticism, self-esteem and both maternal and paternal authoritativeness would be significant predictors of happiness. Regressional and path analysis showed self-esteem to be the most dominant and powerful predictor of happiness. The effect of sex on happiness was moderated by neuroticism, which related to self-esteem, which directly influenced happiness. Stability, extraversion and maternal authoritativeness were significant predictors of self-esteem accounting for one-third of the variance. The results are considered in terms of the distinct literature on the relation between personality and happiness and on the relation between parental styles and self-esteem. Self-esteem was both a direct and a moderator variable for young people's self-reported happiness. Extraversion had both direct and indirect predictive power of happiness, whereas neuroticism predicted happiness mediating through self-esteem. Maternal authoritativeness was the only direct predictor of happiness when paternal and maternal rearing styles were examined together, suggesting that a reasonable discipline exercised by mothers towards their children was particularly beneficial in enhancing the offsprings' self-esteem.
Article
To study the agreement between self-reported dental conditions and clinical findings in an adult population (20-84 years of age), and thus evaluate questionnaires as a tool in epidemiological studies of oral health, in general, and periodontal health, in particular. A questionnaire was sent to 900 randomly selected subjects in the age groups 20-29, 50-59 and 75-84 years. Of these, 723 subjects (81.0%) answered the questionnaire and 20% of them underwent a clinical examination. As regards the remaining teeth, there was a mean difference of 1.4 teeth between the number indicated in the questionnaire and that found on the clinical examination. This difference was most marked in the older subjects. Eight of the nine subjects with removable dentures reported in their answers that they had removable dentures. Periodontal variables--we found significantly more subjects with pathological gingival pockets among those who stated that they had pockets than among those who answered that they did not (P = 0.01; chi-square independent test). Gingival bleeding was common in those who answered 'Yes' than in those who answered 'No' to the question concerning bleeding gums. This difference was significant (P = 0.05; chi-square independent test) in the three age groups. However, there was no correlation between the questionnaires and the clinical examination concerning tooth mobility. Questionnaires concerning oral status are valid concerning the number of remaining teeth and use of removable dentures. They are less reliable about specific periodontal variables, but can still become a valuable tool for epidemiological studies of periodontal health.
Article
The purpose of the present study was to describe the self-assessment of gingival health conditions in pregnant women, their oral hygiene behaviour and dental visiting habits, and to analyse self-care practices of pregnant women in relation to perceived gingival problems. The study group comprised 1935 pregnant women living in two areas of Denmark consecutively recruited from August 1998 to March 1999. The survey data were based on telephone interviews. Questions in the interview concerned general health, lifestyles, socioeconomic conditions, gingival conditions, oral hygiene and utilisation of dental health services. One-third of the study population perceived signs of gingival inflammation; 5% of the pregnant women assessed their gingiva as poor, while 95% reported good or "normal" gingival condition. Ninety six per cent brushed their teeth at least twice a day and nine out of 10 were regular users of the dental-care system. Twenty-seven per cent of those women with pregnancy gingivitis responded to the symptoms by, for example, seeing a dentist or intensifying the oral hygiene habits. Despite a high level of self-efficacy among the pregnant women as for oral health and oral health care combined with a high level of oral hygiene and dental visiting habits, there seems to be a substantial need for increased awareness of gingival oral health.
Article
Self-rated health (SRH) is a useful summary measure of people's general health and was found to predict future health outcomes. Self-rated oral health (SROH) is a similarly useful summary measure of people's oral health. Both are related to quality of life, especially at old age. The objectives of the study were: (1) to assess the independent contribution of SROH to concurrent and future SRH of elderly people, controlling for sociodemographics and health measures, and, (2) to assess whether SROH adds unique information not captured by SRH by testing their independent associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction. Participants were 850 residents of a retirement community (mean age 73) interviewed in their homes at baseline and 5 years later. The interview included single-item self-ratings of general and oral health, self-reports of medical history, recent chronic diseases, medication usage, functional disability, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses showed that SROH had an independent effect on concurrent and future SRH, controlling for age and other measures of health status. Both SRH and SROH independently explained a significant amount of variance in concurrent ratings of self-esteem and life satisfaction. SROH has a unique role in people's perceptions of their overall health yet is not fully captured by SRH. Therefore, it should be considered by general health care providers in their assessments of the health status of older adults.
Article
The present study evaluated the association between the lower-order facets of Anxiety Sensitivity construct (Physical, Mental Incapacitation and Social Concerns) and theoretically relevant cognitive-based smoking processes. Participants were 151 young adult daily smokers (63 females); mean number of cigarettes/day = 12.3 [S.D. = 5.6]). Both AS Physical and Mental Incapacitation Concerns were significantly associated with greater negative affect reduction smoking motives and lower levels of self-confidence in remaining abstinent from smoking when emotionally distressed. The observed effects were over and above the variance accounted for by nicotine dependence, smoking rate, and gender. Results are discussed in relation to better understanding cognitive-based smoking processes among individuals at heightened risk for panic psychopathology.
Article
The aim of this study was to describe self-reported oral health, oral hygiene habits, and frequency of visits to a dentist among pregnant women in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study with an anonymous structured questionnaire was distributed among 650 pregnant women during May-June 2003, when they were admitted to the maternity ward at the largest government maternity hospital in Kuwait City. The response rate was 93% (n=603). Every fourth respondent was in her first pregnancy, while 36% already had three or more children. Every fifth woman felt that her oral health was poor, and one-third of the women believed that they had periodontal problems currently. About two-thirds of the women were brushing more than once a day and almost all (94%) at least once a day. Over the previous 6 months, 40% had experienced dental pain. Half of the women had visited a dentist during pregnancy, mostly for dental pain. Most of the women had received no instructions concerning oral health care during their pregnancy. A large proportion of the pregnant women in this study had oral health problems; however, half of the women had not seen a dentist during their pregnancy.
Article
The aim of this study was to investigate whether young adults with varying dental esthetics and histories of orthodontic treatment also differ in oral-health attitudes, preventive behaviors, and self-perceived oral health. The sample comprised 298 young adults, 18 to 30 years old, with at least 13 years of primary and secondary school education. The subjects were asked to complete questionnaires dealing with various measures related to oral-health attitudes, preventive behaviors, and perceptions of oral health. Dental esthetics were assessed by means of the aesthetic component of the index of orthodontic treatment need. Dental plaque accumulation was assessed in a subsample of respondents. Subjects with high dental-esthetics scores reported more favorable oral-health attitudes, such as internal control, dental awareness, value of occlusion, and preventive behavior expectations than subjects with lower scores. Subjects with previous orthodontic treatment showed greater internal control and dental awareness than those who had not previously been treated. Subjects ranking high in dental esthetics and those with previous orthodontic treatment reported stricter oral-hygiene adherence than others. Self-perceived oral health was better in high scorers on dental esthetics. Less plaque accumulation was found in subjects with higher dental esthetic scores and in those with previous orthodontic treatment. These findings suggest that favorable dental esthetics and previous orthodontic treatment might be important variables in explaining individual differences in oral-health attitudes and behaviors.
Article
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of stress and anxiety on the response to non-surgical periodontal treatment (NPT) in patients with chronic periodontitis. Sixty-six patients (mean age 46.1 +/- 8 years) were assigned to three groups: control group, probing pocket depth (PPD) <or=4 mm, n=20; T1, at least four sites with PPD >or=4 and <or=6 mm, n=26; and T2, at least four sites with PPD >6 mm, n=20. Stress, state anxiety (SA) and trait anxiety (TA) and plaque index (PI), gingival index, PPD and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded at baseline and 3 months after NPT. TA scores were different among groups at baseline and after NPT. TA was related to periodontitis at baseline and after NPT. PI was associated with the SA at baseline. The reduction of frequency of CAL >6 mm was correlated with TA after adjusting for confounders. Stressed subjects did not show reduction of frequency of PPD >6 mm (T1), CAL 4-6 mm and CAL >6 mm (T2). The data suggest an influence of trait of anxiety and stress on the response to NPT.
Article
Empowerment is a concept that has been much used and discussed for a number of years. However, it is not always explicitly clarified what its central meaning is. The present paper intends to clarify what empowerment means, and relate it to the goals of health promotion. The paper starts with the claim that health-related quality of life is the ultimate general goal for health promotion, and continues by briefly presenting definitions of some central concepts: "welfare", "health" and "quality of life". Several suggestions as to what empowerment is are then discussed: autonomy, freedom, knowledge, self-esteem, self-confidence, and control over health or life. One conclusion of this discussion is that empowerment can be seen as a complex goal which includes aspects of the three central concepts welfare, health and quality of life. To the extent that the empowerment goals aimed at are health-related, it is concluded that empowerment is a legitimate goal for health promotion. But empowerment is not only a goal, it can also be described as a process or as an approach. This process, or approach, in a fundamental way involves the participants in problem formulation, decision making and action, which means that the experts have to relinquish some of their control and power.
Article
Depression and periodontitis are common conditions in older adults. There is some evidence that these two conditions may be related. To study a population of dentate elders and assess the prevalence of depression, self-assessment of risk for periodontitis and tooth loss, in relation to periodontal disease status. Data were obtained from 701 older subjects (mean age 67.2 years (SD+/-4.6), of whom 59.5% were women. Self-reports of a diagnosis of depression, scores of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and self-assessment of risk for future tooth loss and periodontitis were compared with a diagnosis of periodontitis based on probing depth, and bone loss assessed from panoramic radiographs. Other systemic diseases and smoking habits were also determined and studied in relation to depression. A history of depression was reported by 20% of the subjects. GDS scores >/=8 were reported by 9.8% of the elders. Periodontitis was identified in 48.5% of the subjects. Depression was associated with heart attack (p<0.05), stroke (p<0.01), high blood pressure (p<0.02), all combined cardiovascular diseases (p<0.001), chronic pain (p<0.01), osteoarthritis (p<0.001), and osteoporosis (p< 0.001) but not with periodontitis (p=0.73). Subjects with depression had a higher self-reported risk score for future tooth loss (p<0.02). No group difference emerged for self-perceived risk for periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that a past history of tooth loss (p<0.001), self-perceived risk for periodontitis (p<0.02), the number of years with a smoking habit (p<0.02), and male gender (p<0.02) were associated with a diagnosis of periodontitis but neither measure of depression could be included in an explanatory model for periodontitis. Evidence of depression (self-report or by GDS) is not associated with risk for periodontitis in older subjects but is associated with tooth loss and chronic conditions associated with pain.
Article
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