Aspects of self-reported oral health among adults in selected municipalities in Northern- and Mid-Norway. A cross - sectional study. Based on material from the SAMINOR-2 study.

Abstract Background: Dental caries and periodontitis are the pathological conditions of oral cavity having a high prevalence. Caries of permanent teeth and periodontitis have been defined as the first and the sixth most prevalent pathological conditions in the world in 2010, with a global prevalence 35% and 11%, respectively. Such severity leads to deterioration of life quality, causes medical complications and creates a burden for the medical system in general (1). The causes of the diseases onset are well investigated and properly understood. It has been noticed that the start point of the diseases is associated with the combination of unfavorable factors. Effect of the separate factors unlikely leads to the pathological condition or - at least - does not cause a severe form because of the high resistibility of the environment in the oral cavity. There were many factors observed which have a positive association with dental caries and periodontitis and subsequently may act as the plausible triggers or can complicate a course of the diseases. Aim: To investigate if gender, age, self-perceived dental and general health, years of education, income, residence in the Sami language core areas, BMI, diabetes, psychological problems, presence of dentures and use of dental floss have an association with self-reported caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis diagnosed by a dentist during last 2 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study, the Saminor-2 stage 1, was implemented in 2012 in an area where the percentage of inhabitants with Sami background was 5-10%, referring to the census dated by 1970. The study included questionnaires with 97 questions divided into 15 sections. 11600 individuals out of 44669 were enrolled in the analysis that corresponded to response rate - 27%. Differences between groups were tested by the cross tabulation with Chi-square test. Logistic regression was performed to gain a magnitude of the possible odds ratio between predictors and outcome variables. Results: The result of conducted multivariate analysis revealed the factors affecting the probability of reporting an incidence of caries, gingivitis and periodontitis during the last 2 years as compared with the opposite group. In this way, males were 16% more likely to report caries experience. The age after 50 increased the odds of reporting gingivitis by 50%, periodontitis by 116%. Those who had good self-perceived dental health were less likely to report caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis by 59%, 55% and 88%, respectively. High income (>751000 NOK) reduced the odds of reporting caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis by 15%, 24% and 37% respectively; additionally, medium income (451000-750000 NOK) reduced the odds of reporting gingivitis by 15%. Individuals with psychological problems were more likely to report caries, gingivitis and periodontitis by 19%, 34%, and 81% respectively. A presence of dentures and daily use of dental floss increased the odds of reporting periodontitis by 132% and 92% respectively. Conclusions: There were detected life, health and behavior-related factors affecting the probability of the report in respect to an experience with caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis during the last 2 years