Association of sense of coherence with oral health behaviors and gingival bleeding among adolescents

CONTEXT: Adolescents experience many types of gingival and periodontal diseases, including gingivitis, localized or generalized aggressive periodontitis, and periodontal complications of various systemic diseases. The occurrence of periodontal diseases is not only related to biotic factors but may also be affected by nonbiotic factors such as oral health behaviors and practices. Various factors that influence an individual's health-related behaviors include a psychosocial construct named sense of coherence (SOC). AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate the association of SOC with oral health behaviors and gingival bleeding. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional, analytical study that was done in the school setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of 850 adolescents was selected from nine schools of the Faridabad block of Faridabad district (Haryana) through the multistage cluster sampling technique. Methods of data collection included a combination of questionnaire administration and clinical examination. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic variables, questions related to oral health behaviors, and Antonovsky's SOC scale. The questionnaire was interviewer administered. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Unadjusted and adjusted rate ratios of gingival units having bleeding on probing were estimated by Poisson regression multilevel analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for Microsoft Office. RESULTS: Adolescents whose mothers had studied <8 years (relative risk [RR] 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.38), who were males (RR 1.198; 95% CI 1.01–1.29), low SOC (RR 15.93; 95% CI 13.06–19.35), and toothbrushing frequency of less than once a day (RR 1.43; 95% CI 1.21–1.67) and children with plaque index >1 (RR 2.765; 95% CI 2.12–3.25) presented with the higher number of gingival units having bleeding. CONCLUSION: SOC is associated with gingival bleeding through oral health behaviors.