Association between oral health behaviors and dental scaling frequency: linked datasets from the National Health Insurance Service and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

Objectives@#This study aimed to investigate the association between oral health behaviors and dental scaling to suggest effective preventive oral health behaviors. @*Methods@#This cross-sectional survey examined linked datasets derived from the Korean National Health Insurance Service and Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2014-2017. The data of 4,258 adults aged ≥19 years were included. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of oral health behaviors on willingness to undergo dental scaling. @*Results@#The multivariate regression analysis revealed that the participants whose oral hygiene habits included a thrice-daily tooth brushing frequency were 1.5% more likely to undergo dental scaling (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.167-1.881) than the others. Furthermore, those whose oral hygiene habits included a thrice-daily tooth brushing frequency and the daily use of dental floss or an interdental brush were 1.6% more likely to undergo dental scaling (95% CI, 1.194-2.032) than their counterparts. @*Conclusions@#The group with the most favorable oral health behaviors underwent dental scaling more frequently. Better personal oral health habits may lead to willingness to undergo dental scaling, and incremental dental hygiene improvements can be achieved through further oral health education. Educational programs are needed to raise awareness of and promote improvements in individual oral health behaviors.