Oral health behavior in Chinese adults with diabetes mellitus

Objective To examine oral health behaviors in diabetic patients over the age of 18 years in China and to provide evidences for making oral health education policy.Methods The data on oral health behaviors of 10 473 diabetic patients were extracted from the database of Chinese Chronic Disease and Its Risk Factors Survey in 2010 and analyzed.Results Of the diabetic patients,11.9% and 33.7% had visited a dentist during the past one and five years,and 46.3% had never visited a dentist during the past five years;2.3% and 7.3% had washed their teeth during the past one and five years,and 87.6% had never washed their teeth during the past five years;33.1% brushed their teeth every morning and evening and 87.4% brushed their teeth at least once a day every day.The ratios of visiting a dentist in the past one and five years were higher in the female diabetic patients than those in the male patients;while the ratio of brushing teeth in the past five years was higher in the male diabetic patients than that in the female patients (P<0.01).There was no significant between-gender difference in the ratio of brushing teeth.The urban diabetic patients showed better oral health behaviors than the rural patients (P<0.01 for all);the diabetic patients in eastern China had significantly higher ratios of visiting a dentist in past five years,brushing teeth every morning and evening,and brushing teeth every day than the patients in central and western China (P<0.01 for all).No between-region difference was observed in the ratio of washing teeth.The ratios of visiting a dentist and washing teeth increased with the increment of age,whereas the ratios of brushing teeth every morning and evening and every day decreased with the increment of age among the diabetic patients.Conclusion The oral health care indicators such as visiting a dentist,brushing teeth,and washing teeth were at a low level among adult Chinese diabetic patients,suggesting that effective health education on oral health needs to be carried out in the population.