Self-Reported Oral Health Related Behaviour and Gum Bleeding of Adolescents in Slovakia in Relation to Socioeconomic Status of Their Parents: Cross-Sectional Study Based on Representative Data Collection

Abstract

Background: Oral health strongly affects overall health and is related to many factors. The aim of our study was to analyse oral health related behaviours (OHRBs) and gum bleeding among Slovak adolescents and assess the effect of socioeconomic factors on the outcomes. Methods: Data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC) were used (N = 8896, age range = 10–16 years, M = 13.4; SD = 1.4; 50.9% boys). Sociodemographic and socioeconomic indicators and frequency of OHRBs (dental hygiene, toothbrush changing, preventive check-up) and gum bleeding were collected. Effects of sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables on outcome variables were analysed by binary logistic regression. Results: We found that prevalence of OHRBs slightly decreases with age, and worse outcomes were reported by boys compared to girls (OHRB odds ratio range 0.45–0.75, (95% C.I. range 0.40–0.91), gum bleeding 1.38 (95% C.I. 1.19–1.61), p < 0.05). OHRBs were in most cases significantly associated with socioeconomic variables, lower affluence predicts worse outcomes (odds ratio range 0.76–0.88 (95% C.I. range 0.68–0.96), p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study provides representative findings on ORHBs in Slovakia and shows important associations of socioeconomic factors related to adolescents’ oral health issues.