The aim of this study was to develop a task-specific self-efficacy scale for oral health behavior (SEOH) which could be used to evaluate the changes in patients regarding both their behavior and awareness of oral health, and to examine its reliability and validity. Firstly, an original scale consisting of 57 items was designed and applied to 187 students. Next, by item analysis, we devised SEOH, which consisted of 25 items. As a result of factor analysis, four factors were extracted: "self-efficacy for brushing behavior", "self-efficacy for daily life habits", "self-efficacy for psychological control", and "self-efficacy for dental checkup". The SEOH score showed a significant correlation with the generalized self-efficacy scale score, suggesting its validity. Significant differences were observed between the high and low SEOH score groups in the questionnaire items of "brushing frequency", "number of tooth cleaning tools", "confidence in health of teeth", and "knowledge of oral health". These results suggest that SEOH is useful for clinical application as a scale to measure oral health behavior.

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It has been reported that the incidence of dental caries in childhood has decreased in recent years, while the rate of periodontal disease remains high in teenagers. There are few reports concerning the oral health of university students, because such students are not required to undergo dental health checkups based on the Law of School Health in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the oral health attitude and behavior of new university students in 2007-2008. Between 2007 and 2008, a total of 6,291 new students (males: 5,115, females: 1,176) at the University of Tokyo responded to an annual written questionnaire on oral health. Data were analyzed statistically, and we evaluated students' trends in oral hygiene. As the results, the incidence of dental caries decreased, while rates of students who worried about bleeding during brushing their teeth, periodontal disease, or malocclusion increased. Students who received orthodontic treatment also increased. The highest tooth brushing frequency was twice a day, and most students brushed for 2 to 3 minutes per time. The behavior of regular scaling was correlated with periodontal disease, an awareness of dental calculus, dental caries, brushing teeth more than 3 times a day and for more than 4 minutes each time, orthodontic treatment, extraction of permanent teeth, and experience of tooth brushing instruction. It was suggested that dental health education to prevent not only dental caries but also periodontal disease is necessary for university students.

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There are few reports concerning the oral health of university students, because such students are not required to undergo dental health checkups based on the Law of School Health in Japan. University students are a key target generation to improve the oral health in older populations. We have a dental clinic in the Health Service Center of the University of Tokyo, and provide preventive dentistry of primary care for university students and staff. In this study, we report an evaluation of the oral health of university students in 2000-2007. As the results, the rates of DMF teeth, DT, FT, and periodontal disease were lower compared to the findings of the Japanese dental survey in 2005. The rate of male students showing marked dental calculus accumulation was higher than in females. There were more students with problems of the third molar than who actually felt pain or swelling of this molar. It was suggested that dental health education to prevent not only dental caries but also periodontal disease or pericoronitis is necessary for university students.

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In the Sensatsu area of Kagoshima prefecture, fluoride mouth rinse has been used since 2003 in nurseries and kindergartens to address the high prevalence of dental caries among children. In this study, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of caries prevalence in children with their daily life behavior and dental health awareness among their guardians, as well as the association of the intention to continue fluoride mouth rinse after graduating from nurseries or kindergartens with the level of awareness among guardians. The study enrolled 122 children at nurseries and kindergartens who underwent two caries check-ups in 2004 and 2005 and whose caries status during the year between the two check-ups could be evaluated, and their guardians. Several months after the evaluation period, daily life behavior of the children and awareness among their guardians were compared between the group with new occurrence of caries and the other group without such occurrence during the evaluation period. There was difference between the two groups with the exception that in the group without caries, guardians brushed their children's teeth after child had brushed them to ensure cleanliness. It may have been difficult to detect association of caries prevalence in children with their daily life behavior and dental health awareness among their guardians as daily life behavior and awareness may have improved after new caries occurred, or because caries risk decreased generally after the introduction of fluoride mouth rinse. Upon examination of association between the intention to continue using fluoride mouth rinse after graduating from nursery or kindergarten and awareness among guardians, of those who did not strongly desire to actively prevent their child from developing caries, those who thought their children had many carious teeth, and those who did not have their children routinely apply fluoride, relatively few were found to have a strong intention to continue fluoride mouth rinse after their child's graduation. The authors recommend that guardians have their children continue fluoride mouth rinse at home following graduation, as elementary schools have not yet introduced it in the area of study. However, the results of the study suggest that low awareness among some guardians may present an obstacle to the widespread use of fluoride mouth rinse and that school-based programs promoting the use of fluoride mouth rinse are necessary.

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Recently, many investigations about tooth wear (attrition, erosion and abrasion) have been carried out worldwide, and the prevalence, preventive measures and related factors have been reported. However, such an investigation of tooth wear has not yet been reported in Japan. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to clarify the condition of tooth wear and related factors in Japanese teenagers. Subjects of this investigation were students of a boys' junior high school and a boys' high school in Kanagawa Prefecture. The examination of tooth wear was carried out to separately classify and record attrition, erosion and abrasion (represented by a wedge-shaped defect). We collected data on related factors through a questionnaire survey, and analyzed their relationship with attrition, erosion and wedge-shaped defect separately. As a result, the prevalence of tooth wear was 29.2%, the breakdown of which was 28.3% attrition, 1.1% erosion, 0.5% wedge-shaped defect. Age was the only significant factor related to erosion when the factors related to attrition, erosion and wedge-shaped defect were analyzed separately. Further study will be necessary after the validity of the study design and method of analyzing related factors is confirmed.

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In Japan, school-based fluoride mouth rinsing program (FMR) started in a single prefecture in 1970, and spread to all of 47 prefectures by 2005. In this study, we investigated the conditions that supported the spread of FMR throughout Japan. Data were collected by questionnaire surveys regarding the schools and children participating in FMR, frequency of rinsing, fluoride concentration of the rinsing solution, the agent used for mouth rinsing, financial support for FMR and the number of municipalities. The latest survey was jointly conducted by 8020 Promotion Foundation, WHO Collaborating Center for Translation of Oral Health Science and NPO-JPUF in 2008. Questionnaires were sent to the manager of oral health in each of the 47 prefectures. The total number of schools and children participating in FMR were 6,433 and 674,141 in 2008, respectively (recovery rate: 100%). The ratio of the total number of schools and children in Japan were 9.0% and 5.1%, (nursery schools 13.8% and 9.6%, kindergartens 6.5% and 4.7%, primary schools 9.0% and 6.3%, secondary schools 2.7% and 1.5%, and schools for special needs education; physically handicapped and mentally retarded children 3.1% and 2.7%), respectively. In nursery schools and kindergartens, 59.2% and 47.0% of the participating children adopted the daily rinsing-method, respectively. In primary and secondary schools 95.7% and 95.4% of the participating children adopted the weekly rinsing-method, respectively. In nursery schools, kindergartens and special needs education, children more frequently used medicaments for FMR than a reagent of Sodium Fluoride. In primary and secondary schools, children more frequently used a reagent than medicaments. FMR was supported only by public funds of the prefectural and municipal governments in 74.3% of nursery schools, 59.4% of kindergartens, 84.2% of primary schools, 87.9% of secondary schools and 100% of schools for special needs education. We found considerable disparities among regions even though the number of schools and children implementing FMR has widened.

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The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status in adult populations of Japan and South Korea. Data were obtained from the report on the Survey of Dental Diseases in 1999 and 2005, carried out by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the National Oral Health Survey, carried out in 2000 and 2006 by the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. Differences in tooth and periodontal conditions, as described in the DMF index and Community Periodontal Index (CPI), between Japan in 1999 and South Korea in 2000 and between Japan in 2005 and South Korea in 2006 were compared. As the criteria of the DMF index differed in the two countries, the results from South Korea were modified to meet the Japanese criteria using the raw data of the National Oral Health Survey in South Korea. The mean number of decayed teeth was slightly higher in Japan than in South Korea in both sexes of most age groups. Japanese adults exhibited a markedly greater number of filled teeth than South Korean adults. The proportion of CPI code 3 or 4 with respect to the highest CPI code score and the mean number of sextants of CPI code 3 or 4 were greater in Japan than in South Korea in both sexes of most age groups. These results suggest that Japanese adults tend to have more dental caries and periodontal disease than South Korean adults.

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