Abstract
BackgroundThere is overwhelming evidence that periodontal disease and dental caries affect the majority of populations and that western culture and lifestyle may have a profound influence on oral health, especially in adults. The present study was performed to determine the effect of westernization on the oral health of college students of Udaipur City, Rajasthan.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending various professional and non-professional bachelor’s degree colleges of Udaipur City, Rajasthan, India, from March 2013 to May 2013. Eight hundred students were selected based on a two-stage random sampling procedure. Westernization was assessed by a self-administered structured questionnaire. Periodontal status, dental caries status and malocclusion were assessed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1997). Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square and Multivariate logistic regression. The confidence level and level of significance were set at 95 and 5 %, respectively.ResultsThe present study suggested that adverse habits, listening to English music and preferring English food had a significant association with dental caries and periodontal diseases. Malocclusion also showed a significant relationship with consuming English food for snacks and desserts. Multivariate analysis revealed a significantly greater odds ratio (OR) for periodontal disease and dental caries among those who preferred English food for lunch.ConclusionBased on the results of the present study, there is an association between westernization and oral health.
Highlights
There is overwhelming evidence that periodontal disease and dental caries affect the majority of populations [6] and that western culture and lifestyle may have a profound influence on oral health, especially in adults
Study setting and study population A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending various professional and non-professional bachelor’s degree colleges of Udaipur City, Rajasthan, India, from March 2013 to May 2013
The present study sought to determine the effect of westernization parameters such as eating English food and listening to English music on oral health indicators such as dental caries and periodontal disease
Summary
There is overwhelming evidence that periodontal disease and dental caries affect the majority of populations and that western culture and lifestyle may have a profound influence on oral health, especially in adults. Exposure to different types of media, such as music, movies, television, and the Internet, facilitates the exchange of global ideas and information, making subsequent changes in beliefs and behaviours possible, especially for adults [6] This process by which individuals adopt the attitudes, values, customs, beliefs, and behaviours of another culture is called acculturation. Food courts, shopping malls and brands of cigarettes are popular with youth in the West [13,14,15] In response to this growing globalization, market researchers and advertising agencies in India commonly craft hybrid images and messages that reflect this new bi-cultural identity – one that is both local (i.e., Indian) and global (i.e., Western) [16].
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