Assessing Oral health behavior, knowledge, and American Dental Association compliance between the genders

Background: Oral disease is a growing global burden, with poor oral health significantly impacting quality of life. Determinants of oral health range from behavior to knowledge. Understanding how these determinants differ by gender can help oral health programs implement more successful interventions.

Methods: A 37 question mail survey was sent to 525 participants. Twenty questions measured oral health knowledge and 7 questions measured oral health behavior. The sample was a combination of random and convenience sampling. The difference in oral health behavior, knowledge, and compliance with American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines were assessed. A 3 level scoring system was created for oral health behavior, while oral health knowledge was classified as “passing” or “failing.” ADA compliance was classified as “meeting guidelines” or “not meeting guidelines.”

Results: Response rate was 52% (272/525). Results indicated that 52.9% of respondents had “average” oral health behavior for both genders. In the behavior category, when comparing “below average” to “above average,” there were a higher percentage (38.8%) of males in the “below average” category and only 10.7% in the “above average” category. Most respondents (74.6%) received a “passing” score for oral health knowledge. Only 41.7% met the ADA guidelines. Among education, income, insurance, and race, insurance was the confounder.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that 1. Females report to have better oral health behavior and knowledge compared to males and 2. The majority of respondents do not meet recommended ADA guidelines. More gender based oral health studies should be conducted to further support our results.