摘要
Research evidence substantiating benefits of dental self-care habits is surprisingly limited. This study evaluated associations between dental self-care behaviors and oral health, specifically toothbrushing, flossing, rinsing, chewing xylitol gum, and diet. Soldiers recently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan had dental examinations and answered questionnaires on dental self-care habits. The DoD Oral Health and Readiness Classification System was used to categorize oral health （see manuscript for definitions）. Correlations were assessed between self-care habits and dental classification. Of 266 soldiers, 43 （16%） were Class 1 （excellent）, 191 （72%） Class 2 （acceptable）, 18 （7%） Class 3 （poor）, and 14 （5%） Class 4 （unknown）. Only 63% of soldiers brushed twice or more per day and only half flossed once or more per day. Dental classification improved with toothbrushing （P = 0.05） and adherence to a Mediterranean diet （P = 0.04）. Flossing trended toward correlation （P = 0.11）. Dental classification did not correlate with mouth rinse or xylitol chewing gum. These research findings help fill an evidence gap that toothbrushing and flossing in addition to a healthful eating pattem are associated with improved oral health.
