Oral hygiene behavior: differences between men and women

It is a well-established fact that in western countries, women demonstrate better "spontaneous" oral hygiene than do men. The purpose of this study was to determine whether being female or male influences the quality of improvement. The study group comprised 84 patients (56 women and 28 men) of different socio-economic status, who consulted a periodontist in an urban community. Plaque indices were recorded before any treatment and at the end of initial therapy. The results confirmed that women's "spontaneous" oral hygiene is higher than that of men. The observed absolute improvement was higher in men, but it was not possible to asset a difference in relative improvement according to gender after completion of initial therapy.