M Kawamura1, H K Yip, D Y Hu, T Komabayashi. 1. Department of Preventive Dentistry, Hiroshima University School of Dentistry, Japan. makoto@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To clarify the differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students. DESIGN: Cross-cultural differences. SETTING: Japan, Hong Kong and West China. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The original version of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) was written in Japanese. After testing the validity of both English and Chinese versions, the original version of the HU-DBI was administered to 58 freshman Japanese dental students, the English version to 43 Hong Kong Chinese peers and the Chinese version to 39 West Chinese peers. RESULTS: Significant cultural differences were found for 16 items out of 20. The most striking result was that the Japanese students were more likely to have used a dye to see how clean their teeth were, compared to their Chinese peers (P<0.001). The Chinese students were less likely to have a belief that they could clean their teeth well without using toothpaste (P<0.001), whereas higher percentages of the Chinese students worried about having bad breath (P<0.001). A higher percentage of the Hong Kong students reported that they regularly checked their teeth in a mirror than did their West Chinese or Japanese peers (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students in the three cultural groups.
OBJECTIVE: To clarify the differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students. DESIGN: Cross-cultural differences. SETTING: Japan, Hong Kong and West China. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The original version of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) was written in Japanese. After testing the validity of both English and Chinese versions, the original version of the HU-DBI was administered to 58 freshman Japanese dental students, the English version to 43 Hong Kong Chinese peers and the Chinese version to 39 West Chinese peers. RESULTS: Significant cultural differences were found for 16 items out of 20. The most striking result was that the Japanese students were more likely to have used a dye to see how clean their teeth were, compared to their Chinese peers (P<0.001). The Chinese students were less likely to have a belief that they could clean their teeth well without using toothpaste (P<0.001), whereas higher percentages of the Chinese students worried about having bad breath (P<0.001). A higher percentage of the Hong Kong students reported that they regularly checked their teeth in a mirror than did their West Chinese or Japanese peers (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students in the three cultural groups.
Authors: Morenike O Folayan; Mohammad R Khami; Nkiru Folaranmi; Bamidele O Popoola; Oyinkan O Sofola; Taofeek O Ligali; Ayodeji O Esan; Omolola O Orenuga Journal: BMC Oral Health Date: 2013-06-18 Impact factor: 2.757