301823
Dental Behaviors Among Adolescents in Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Objective: To examine dental-related behaviors among high school(HS) students across locations within one Ohio county.
Methods: Data were collected from 16,855 HS students in 43 public schools in Cuyahoga County using a self-administered YRBS questionnaire completed between January and May 2013. School absence due to toothache was examined by county location (urban, suburban), brushing frequency, dental visits within 12months, sugared beverage(SB) consumption, and corner grocery store visits. Data were weighted to adjust for non-response and distribution of students by demographics and location. Prevalence estimates were calculated on weighted data using SAS; chi-square tests of independence were conducted between toothache and other variables.
Results: 6.8 % of respondents reported school absence due to toothache; prevalence of severe toothache differed significantly(p<.05) by gender(males > females), family affluence(low >high), and race/ethnicity(non-whites > whites); a higher proportion of students in urban and adjacent east-side suburban areas missed school due to toothache compared to adjacent west-side and outer ring schools (p<.05). Daily SB consumption, visits to the corner grocery store, and brushing frequency also differed by location. Toothache was greater among those with daily SB consumption and corner grocery store visits.
Conclusions: Urban/suburban differences in dental-related behaviors were observed among adolescents. Urban dental HSPAs exist within Cuyahoga County potentially limiting dental access, but the recency of dental visits was not associated with severe toothache; personal behaviors(toothbrushing, SB consumption) were associated with severe toothache in this dataset. Interventions targeting personal behaviors and environmental variables(e.g. better food sources) in the most vulnerable county areas are warranted.
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health educationPlanning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
Analyze dental-related behaviors from a county-wide administration of the YRBS to high school students
Compare reported dental visits and school absence due to toothache by urban and suburban locations within the county
Identify other behaviors related to reported toothache experiences
Keyword(s): Adolescents, Oral Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a current NIH Principal Investigator on a grant examining diet and oral health communication and interventions for an adolescent population.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.