Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this analysis was to assess the exposure to and frequency of oral health education among Korean adolescents, and to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health education on their oral health behavior. Methods: Data used in this analysis were from the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A representative sample of 3,316 adolescents aged from twelve to eighteen years participated in the KHANES. Of the adolescents, those who had completed both health interview and health behavior survey were included in this analysis (n = 1,033). Univariate analysis and Chi-square test were conducted using SAS 9.1(Version 9.1, SAS institute, Cary, N.C., USA). All analyses were weighted and survey data analysis procedures were used to calculate correct standard errors from the complex sampling design of the KHNANES. Results: Younger children (aged 12-15 years) had significantly higher experience of oral health education than older counter parts (aged 16-18) (p<.0001). The frequency of oral health education was significantly associated with monthly family income, family size, and alcohol drinking (p<0.05). Frequency of oral health education was not significantly associated with oral health behaviors such as frequency of daily tooth brushing, oral health knowledge, and frequency and choice of snacks. Conclusions: The findings indicate that current oral health education for adolescents is neither sufficient nor effective. There is need to develop more effective oral health education materials and methods for adolescents.