Healthy practices, social relationships and dental perceptions among US dentate adults

Objective: This study explored and described the effects of healthy practices and social relationships on dental perceptions among U. S. dentate adults. Methods: Guided by the Alameda County Study: Health and Ways of Living, weighted data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 8,449 U.S. dentate adults aged 18-64 years were analyzed with SUDAAN 7.5.3. Results: Healthy practices and social relationships showed protective effects against unfavorable dental perceptions after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, dental access, and related clinical dental status. Besides healthy practices and social relationships, education, family income, having dental visit in the past 12 months, having dental decay, having defective tooth condition, and number of natural teeth helped explain unfavorable dental perceptions in the adjusted model. Compared with persons who had high social relationships and high healthy practices, those who had low social relationships with very low, low and medium healthy practices were about five times (OR=5.07,- 99% CI=3.24, 7.91), almost four times (OR=3.61; 99% CI=2.22, 5.87), and two times (OR=2.24,- 99% CI=1.37, 3.67) more likely, respectively, to have unfavorable dental perceptions. In the adjusted model, these odds ratios decreased to three (OR=3.30; 99% C1=2.01 5.41), two (OR=2.06; 99% CI=1.15, 3.69) and non-significant difference, consecutively. Conclusions: Influence of healthy practices and social relationships on dental health may encourage dental health professions to participate in general health behavior modifications and social actions to foster social relationships, in addition to preventive dental care.