Relationship between Receiving a Workplace Oral Health Examination Including Oral Health Instruction and Oral Health Status in the Japanese Adult Population

• Published in: Journal of Occupational Health Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 222 - 229
• Main Authors: Oshikohji, Tadaaki, Shimazaki, Yoshihiro, Shinagawa, Takashi, Fukui, Nao, Akifusa, Sumio, Hirata, Yukio, Yamashita, Yoshihisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Australia JAPAN SOCIETY FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 01.05.2011; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Dental caries; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dental insurance; Dentistry - methods; Dentistry - statistics & numerical data; Female; Gum disease; Health Behavior; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational health; Occupational Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Oral Health; Oral health examination; Oral hygiene; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; Patient Education as Topic; Periodontal disease; Periodontal Diseases - diagnosis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teeth; Workplace; Japan
• ISSN: 1341-9145; 1348-9585; 1348-9585
• DOI: 10.1539/joh.O10031

Objectives: Dental caries and periodontal disease are highly prevalent in the Japanese adult population. Oral examination is an effective method to find various oral health problems in their early stages. However, workplace oral examination is not common in Japan. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between receiving workplace oral health examination, including oral health instruction, and oral health status in the Japanese adult population. Methods: This study was performed using data from 4,484 Japanese employees aged 35-74 yr. The proportion of teeth with a probing depth (PD) ≧4 mm and the number of decayed teeth were used for periodontal disease and dental caries parameters. The subjects were asked by questionnaire about past experiences with workplace oral health examination. Results: The subjects who received a workplace oral health examination every year had better periodontal health status than those receiving an examination for the first time. The odds ratio for having ≧10% of teeth with PD ≧4 mm in the subjects who received workplace oral health examination every year was 0.63 (p<0.05) after adjustment for age, sex, smoking habits, toothbrushing habits, routine visits to dental clinics, number of missing teeth, and oral hygiene status, in a multivariate, multinomial logistic regression analysis. On the other hand, no significant relationship was found between workplace oral health examination and number of decayed teeth. Conclusions: These results suggest that workplace oral health examination accompanied by oral health instruction may be effective for maintenance of periodontal health.