To study the relationship of different life-styles to oral health in adults, persons living in fishing and farming villages of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, were examined for subjective symptoms, number of healthy teeth, number of missing teeth, tooth-brushing habits, and periodontal disease. The data were analyzed and compared epidemiologically between fishing and farming villages.
In univariate analyses, the mean number of missing teeth per person was larger, and tooth-brushing habits were more common, in fishing villages than in farming villages. The proportion of persons with subjective symptoms in each village was similar.
In analyses by Hayashi's Quantification Scaling Type 2 Method, the rate of life-style discrimination between the villages was high in both sexes. The number of healthy teeth was most closely related with the discrimination rate. The proportion of persons with subjective symptoms and the prevalence of tooth brushing habits were almost not related. The incidence of periodontal disease was related with the discrimination rate only in females.