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Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Chinese Adults

Department of Preventive Dentistry, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences

M.C.M. Wong

Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, 3/F, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Hong Kong

Z.J. Wang

Department of Epidemiology, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences

E.C.M. Lo

Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, 3/F, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Hong Kong

Only recently have behavioral aspects been taken into consideration in oral health studies in China; thus, relevant information on perceptions in adult Chinese about oral health care is inadequate. In 1996-97, a large-scale oral epidemiological study was conducted in Southern China. Among its objectives were to describe the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the urban and rural adults living in Southern China and to analyze the influence of selected demographic and socio-economic factors. From 8 urban and 8 rural communities in Guangdong Province, 1573 35- to 44-year-olds and 1515 65- to 74-year-olds were sampled. Specially trained interviewers from the staff of local government or hospitals conducted face-to-face structured interviews. Almost all of the middle-aged and more than 90% of the dentate elderly surveyed claimed that they brushed their teeth every day and used toothpaste during toothbrushing, but awareness about fluoride content was lacking. The respondents had poor oral health knowledge but positive attitudes toward oral health, providing a basis for more community-based oral health education programs, especially targeting adults who are less-well-educated and have fewer socio-economic advantages.

Key Words: adult • dental knowledge • health practice • oral health survey • Chinese

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Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 80, No. 5, 1466-1470 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345010800051601


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This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Data Supplement Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lin, H.C. Articles by Lo, E.C.M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lin, H.C. Articles by Lo, E.C.M. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?