Age and social identity as factors influencing adherence to oral care among dental patients

Abstract

Relevance. Underestimation of the importance of dental disease prevention and the occurrence or complication of physical health problems are two causally related factors. Compliance with the rules of individual and professional oral care is an important constituent to prevention, often ignored by patients of all ages and different social groups.Materials and methods. A total of 706 persons, including 529 women and 172 men, participated in the study. According to the WHO age classification, the participants formed four age groups: 18-24, 25-44, 45-59, and 60-74 years old. In terms of social identity, these groups comprised dentists (216 persons), dental patients (274 persons) and non-dental healthcare professionals (216 persons). The study focused on the adherence to oral preventive measures performed by patients of different age, gender and social identity groups.Results. Despite the majority of the respondents were sufficiently aware of dental disease prevention and oral care, not all turned out to be compliant with medical advice. There were differences between age and social identity groups of patients in reasons of dental visits, use of oral hygiene products and professional oral care.Conclusion. The study confirmed the relationship between underestimation of dental disease prevention and physical pathology. Of all age groups, the lowest level of compliance with oral care practices and the highest percentage of internal diseases were in 60-74-year-old patients. Women are more adherent to oral care measures than men; healthcare professionals showed the lowest compliance with oral care measures.