The Questionnaire Survey on Oral Malodor and Teeth Stains of Male High School Students

Abstract

This study investigated the oral health awareness of aesthetic problems among adolescents. In 2002, a questionnaire survey on oral malodor and teeth stains was conducted at a junior and senior high school for males in Tokyo. The subjects were 783 students.
The following results were obtained.
1. The rate of students who were concerned about other persons' oral malodor was significantly higher for the students in the senior high school than in the junior high school. The attitudes toward oral malodor varied depending on whether the target was family or friends.
2. Forty percent of junior high school students and first-year senior high school students answered that they had been conscious about their oral malodor. The rate was 60% for second- and third-year senior high school students. There was a significant difference between the two groups.
3. Thirty-five percent of the students who were conscious about their oral malodor felt some difficulties in daily life such as communication with other persons.
4. Fifty percent of the students replied that they had been conscious about their teeth stains. However, most of them felt no difficulties in daily life.
From these results, it was revealed that almost half of the junior and senior high school students had been concerned about oral malodor and teeth stains. It is necessary to provide adequate dental health education on oral malodor and teeth stains for students through school oral health promotion activities as well as in dental clinics.