A Comparative Study of Oral Health Status between International and Japanese University Student Patients in Japan.

Kazuto Hoshi,Shintaro Yanagimoto,Kazuhiko Yamamoto,Ai Ohsato,Masanobu Abe,Hidemi Yoshimasu,Kazumi Ohkubo,Liang Zong,Tsuyoshi Takato

doi:10.3390/healthcare6020052

Abstract

Background: The number of international students enrolled in universities in Japan is increasing. To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand their oral environment and dental health behaviors. However, few studies have investigated the oral health status of international university students. The object of the present study was to clarify the current oral status of international university students. Methods: The subjects were students who visited the dental department at the University of Tokyo’s Health Services Center between April 2012 and March 2013. Our medical records were reviewed with regard to the following items: attributes (nationality, gender, and age); chief complaint (reason for visit); history of dental treatment; mean number of decayed (D), missing (M) or filled (F) teeth as a single (DMFT) index; degree of calculus deposition; gingival condition; and oral hygiene status. Results: The records of 554 university students (138 international and 416 non-international students) were analyzed; 88.4% of the 138 international students were from Asian countries (n = 122), of which 47.1% were from China and 10.9% from Korea, followed by North America (5.8%), Europe (4.3%), and Africa (1.5%). Although no significant differences were found regarding the history of dental treatment between international and non-international students (49.3% and 48.8%, respectively), international students had a significantly higher dental caries morbidity rate (60.1%) than non-international students (49.0%). The international students showed a significantly higher DMFT value compared with the non-international students: 5.0 and 4.0 per individual, respectively. Severe calculus deposition was observed in international students compared with non-international students (51.9% and 31.7%, respectively). Conclusions: The international university students had poorer oral health status than the non-international students, even though the result might include many uncertainties and possible biases.

Highlights

The present study was conducted to clarify the oral environment and dental health behaviors of university students who visited the dental clinic at the University of Tokyo’s Health ServicesCenter
To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand the features of their oral health status, which might be affected by many social factors such as cultural differences, health insurance system differences, dental access differences, etc
We reviewed the students’ medical records available at the Health Service Center with regard to the following items: attributes, chief complaint, history of dental treatment, and mean number of decayed, missing or filled teeth in a single (DMFT)

Summary

Introduction

The present study was conducted to clarify the oral environment and dental health behaviors of university students who visited the dental clinic at the University of Tokyo’s Health ServicesCenter. The present study was conducted to clarify the oral environment and dental health behaviors of university students who visited the dental clinic at the University of Tokyo’s Health Services. To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand the features of their oral health status, which might be affected by many social factors such as cultural differences, health insurance system differences, dental access differences, etc. To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand their oral environment and dental health behaviors. Few studies have investigated the oral health status of international university students. The object of the present study was to clarify the current oral status of international university students. Methods: The subjects were students who visited the dental department at the University of Tokyo’s Health Services Center between.

Methods

Results

Conclusion