Relation of achievement motives, satisfaction with life, happiness and oral health in Romanian university students.

PURPOSE: The objective of the present study was to investigate whether achievement motives, satisfaction with life and happiness are associated with oral health behaviour and perceived gingival status. METHODS: The present study sample consisted of 178 first-year medical students. The questionnaire included information about sociodemographic factors, behavioural variables, perceived oral health status, achievement motives (hope of success and fear of failure), satisfaction with life and subjective happiness scales. RESULTS: It was observed that individuals who presented higher values of satisfaction with life and happiness rated their gingival status as being very good/excellent and that individuals who presented higher values of hope of success reported to brush frequently. When the oral health behaviour was analysed, it was revealed that persons who brushed their teeth more than twice a day reported higher values of hope of success when compared with individuals who reported their toothbrushing frequency to be once a day or less. It was also revealed that persons who visited their clinician for check-ups reported higher values of subjective happiness. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that stress in everyday life and hope of success were positively associated with the toothbrushing frequency and that satisfaction with life was positively associated with the gingival health status. CONCLUSIONS: Hope of success and satisfaction with life should be considered as predictors of good oral health behaviour/status.

Self-reported oral health status, oral health-related behaviours, resilience and hope in Romania.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether resilience, hope, perceived oral health status and oral health-related behaviours were associated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 198 first-year medical students in Romania. The questionnaire included information about sociodemographic factors, behavioural variables, perceived oral health status, resilience and hope. RESULTS: Women had more resilience and 'personal competence' than men (P < 0.05). Resilience and hope were correlated with perceived dental health (P < 0.01). Perceived dental health was related to current non-treated caries, satisfaction with the appearance of one's own teeth, toothache last time and resilience (P < 0.001). Age, gender, current extracted teeth, perceived gingival bleeding and hope were not independent distinguishing variables after adjustment for internal heterogeneity. When oral health behaviours (toothbrushing, flossing, mouthrinse frequency and pattern of dental visit) were evaluated, it was demonstrated that flossing frequency was correlated with resilience and hope (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that resilience and hope might be a psychosocial risk marker that influences perceived oral health status and behaviours.